A variety of energy sources

My goal is to have a boat that can go for hours using just an electrical engine. Preferably using a powerful engine so I can go a bit faster than a snail. To create a "green boat", I need access to green energy. Otherwise I would use electricity that is generated with gas or coals. It would feel good, but still it would not be a green boat.

If I would plug my electrical boat in a power socket, the chance that my boat would be charged with renewable energy is not very big, less than 1 out of 25 to be precise. In 2010 the Netherlands used only 3,8% renewable energy according to the "Centraal Bureau van de Statistiek". I was shocked to find out that this number was this low. We have been talking about renewable energy, new initiatives, saving energy and creating a sustainable environment. But it seems this has been nothing but empty promises. Usually people talk about a figure of about 9%. About 9% of electricity used in the Netherlands is renewable.

To show the various energy sources we use, the Dutch newspaper NRC made a nice overview. The text is in Dutch, but the 20 pictures are worth a look. The photos are provided by Shell as part of the Energy Future Project. They claim that *"we will need all energy solutions and savings to be able to handle the future demand of energy"*.

Did you know that the biggest oilfield on the European mainland is located in the Netherlands?