A unique ship will monitor the purity of water and air on the Danube River between Ruse and Silistra. The catamaran “Innovator“ has a monitoring system that has no analogues in our country.
The ship is powered by solar energy through solar panels located on the roof and decks. It also has a foldable platform for take-off and landing of drones, which will measure air parameters such as temperature and pollution. Submersible probes will monitor the purity of the water. There is no other vessel in Bulgaria with a similar monitoring system.
Plamen Manev, Ruse University “Angel Kanchev“: “This is a specialized catamaran that is completely carbon neutral, that is, it has two electric motors and a system of batteries and photo panels. It does not generate any harmful emissions.“
The data from the air and water research will be available to everyone, BNT specifies.
Plamen Manev, University of Ruse „Angel Kanchev“: „The initial idea is for the data to be published on a cloud platform with open access and all users who wish to could see the results in real time.“
The development of the vessel became possible after a partnership between the University of Ruse and two Romanian institutes.
Desislava Atanasova, rector of the University of Ruse „Angel Kanchev“: „The idea actually arose between colleagues from our branch in Silistra, colleagues from the Faculty of Transport and the Faculty of Agriculture and Industry, and both research institutes as one idea, one dream, which subsequently found its implementation.“
Later this month, tests of the environmental monitoring system will begin. The catamaran is expected to start sailing on the Danube in the summer.