He has hosted many nature and ecology programmes on French TV that have been a thorn in the sides of politicians, but today Nicolas Hulot was in Les Sables d’Olonne to offer support to Raphaël Dinelli and his Océan Vital foundation. They both had a few words to say to us.
Nicolas Hulot: Raphaël Dinelli´s project interested me in more than ways than one. Firstly, there is his personality and the fact that he wants to do something concrete. He is at the same time innovating and working in the field of applied research. At his level, he is attempting to take things further in terms of environmental creativity. In the area of renewable energy, we´re only just starting out and Raphaël is one of those people, who are stepping up the pace. Looking beyond the competition, we have a debt towards nature. We must go beyond mere words and do something concrete. If a race like the Vendée Globe can lend its name to this battle, we are all winners. Raphaël is out there doing something. He is looking for global solutions. Today, we really need to do better with less. On his scale, Raphaël has managed to use a solar panel with a given surface, while reducing its weight by a factor of ten.
Raphaël Dinelli: The real challenge for this floating lab is to be totally self-sufficient and avoid fossil fuels. We all know that sailing is a mechanical sport, which requires a lot of energy. Some competitors are thus setting sail with 300 litres of diesel. Now, we have set up some innovative systems, and I just hope they will last throughout the race. As yachtsmen, we have seen over the past fifteen or twenty years the effects of global warming: the icebergs are drifting up to abnormal latitudes, as ice has been spotted off New Zealand and South Africa. I do know that yachtsmen like Loïck Peyron and Vincent Riou came to look at these panels. If I can prove that with 1200 g of solar panelling per square metre, it is possible to obtain the same energy output, all the racers will be jumping aboard, as in that case, the weight calculations are no longer a problem. One thing is certain, this is something I´m passionate about.
Raphaël Dinelli: The real challenge for this floating lab is to be totally self-sufficient and avoid fossil fuels. We all know that sailing is a mechanical sport, which requires a lot of energy. Some competitors are thus setting sail with 300 litres of diesel. Now, we have set up some innovative systems, and I just hope they will last throughout the race. As yachtsmen, we have seen over the past fifteen or twenty years the effects of global warming: the icebergs are drifting up to abnormal latitudes, as ice has been spotted off New Zealand and South Africa. I do know that yachtsmen like Loïck Peyron and Vincent Riou came to look at these panels. If I can prove that with 1200 g of solar panelling per square metre, it is possible to obtain the same energy output, all the racers will be jumping aboard, as in that case, the weight calculations are no longer a problem. One thing is certain, this is something I´m passionate about.
