Various studies on energy conservation and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions continue to provide some hopeful hopes to a larger group of people around the globe. The studies also reaffirm that there are still many ways, expensive and not, to help save our environment from diminishing its potentials thereby killing the ecosystem. In sharing their common objectives and goals of minimizing the use of fuel and threats to our environment, prominent firms Nippon Yusen and Nippon Oil of Japan will build the world’s first cargo ship that is partly propelled by solar power. This could be another daring creation of Japan, which only goes to show that they have whatever it takes to be just another great power in the world. A huge freighter that is capable of carrying 6,400 automobiles, this solar power-propelled cargo ship is set to take to the seas later in 2008.

Officials of the Nippon Yusen shipping line reported that this ship will be equipped with 328 solar panels costing no less than US$1.37 million and will be completed in December. This would then make the cars that are imported from Japan cost less than the applicable market price by that time. How about the transport of other goods? I’m sure that many economies will enjoy a little price relaxations once this freight service is up and running. The sad part, however, is that this cargo ship has been designed for use of transporting Toyota Motor vehicles only as part of the trials by Nippon Yusen and the energy distributor, Nippon Oil, to cut down on fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. All in all, this is also a highly social responsible joint project by both firms in saving our world.