Innovation

Ride Solar has shown the possibilities of today's technology for the tourism industry by not using traditional motors powered by fossil fuels, but now using electric motors fully powered by solar energy. The company has been operating since 2016 in Charlottetown and Halifax. Ride Solar has tour bikes that have solar panels attached to the roof (which can be fully powered by pedaling, hybrid, or fully electric), and large tour boats with attached solar panels that use no emissions. Ride Solars' overall goal in terms of energy use is to be 100% solar-powered. They implemented this by attaching solar panels directly onto their vehicles, but with the company's future expanding into vehicles like rental cars and small boats they will not be able to attach the panels directly. Ride Solar plans on creating solar-powered charging stations to get around the limitations of large solar panels. At traditional charging stations, there are no guarantees of where the power comes from, so this idea ensures the energy used for the vehicles is net zero and 100% solar.

This innovation supports SDG goal 7, Affordable and Clean Energy. Solar power creates zero emissions and is 100% a renewable source. While solar panels are expensive once they are installed there are no additional costs. You don't need to pay to refuel, it is a one-time cost.

It also supports goal 9, Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as most of the tourism industry is still using traditional motors, Ride Solar has taken the step forward to electric motors.

With that also comes goal 13, Climate Action. Fossil fuel-powered motors and their emissions are a huge contributor to climate change. Having vehicles that create no emissions is a step in the right direction in terms of making an impact to reduce climate change.

Goal 11, Sustainable Cities and Communities is another key SDG that can be applied through Ride Solar’s commitment to maintaining PEI's Provincial Energy Strategy through their use of solar energy. A local strategy that stresses the provincial goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% and has a direct impact on shifting their community toward sustainable business practices. As well as seeking out sustainable tourism and entertainment found in the services provided by Ride Solar.

Lastly, goal 14, is Life Below Water. Fossil fuel-powered boats not only put their emissions into the air, but they also put these chemicals into the water. With electric motors, this is not an issue. In turn, protecting the natural aquatic biodiversity.

Inspiration

Steve's inspiration for Ride Solar is an interesting and unique story. Prior to starting Ride Solar, Steve had no previous background in electrical or engineering. Steve worked in Insurance and had several different investments at the time.

One of these investments is a rotating house in P.E.I. that sits right on the harbor and overlooks the ocean and is the only one of its kind in the world. The house rotates and allows all of the rooms to get different perspectives of the ocean throughout the day. Around 2015, Steve befriended one of the guests staying at his house, named Peter, who would eventually become his business partner.

Steve’s initial goal was to provide a lobster supper restaurant experience, where guests could enjoy the views of the ocean and dine on board. He began by investing in a small pedal boat for about $1000 and attaching an electric motor to the back to see if his plan was feasible. He realized that the electric motor was quieter than a diesel motor and would still have the capacity to drive long distances, and it was at that point he said ‘if I do this, I should research electric motors because they are quiet, and bonus they are green with no emission, but it was mostly the quiet of it.’ This was an important aspect for Steve, as he stated in the interview ‘we were doing tours and since it involved food and drink, you don't want to be sitting there in a smelly diesel engine having your lobster and glass of wine’. He found it important to the experience that the boat is as quiet and as odorless as possible so that the passengers could enjoy their lobster suppers peacefully. Electric motors also being clean and good for the environment was a bonus for Steve and a ‘win-win’ situation.

It was at this point Steve called his friend Peter who he had recently met, who worked at a motor company in Germany, and they started working towards building a business around the idea of solar-powered tourism transportation, which is now known as Ride Solar.

Overall impact

The overall impact of this innovation can be looked at from multiple different perspectives. The first one is on the domestic scale. In June 2004, the Prince Edward Island department of environment and energy released its Energy Framework and Renewable Energy Strategy. This strategy has a set goal to reduce emissions by 30% of 2005 levels, by 2030. This is actually Ride Solar’s mission statement, as shown on their website. P.E.I identified four key areas to focus on to achieve this goal. These areas are energy efficiency and conservation, power generation and management, biomass and heating, and transportation.

Ride Solar is participating in all 4 of these areas to help P.E.I achieve this goal. In fact, in 2020, 41% of all emissions came from the transportation sector. (Canada Energy Regulator, 2022) Since their vehicles all operate using solar panels, they can generate and use clean energy to power these vehicles, which are replacing traditional gas or diesel-powered vehicles. This is especially notable in their solar-powered boats, as pollution from boats can be arguably worse than pollution from cars, as it pollutes both the water and the air as the emissions rise from under the water. Since P.E.I released its strategy for clean and sustainable energy in 2004, they have seen significant progress toward this goal. ‘PEI’s emissions have decreased 10% since 1990 and 15% since 2005’. (Canada Energy Regulator, 2022) While Ride Solar plays just a small part in this decrease, they certainly are doing their part to reduce emissions by innovating ways to use clean energy in a space that is the leading cause of pollution.

The second perspective you can look at in terms of overall impact is global. The use of fossil-fuel-powered vehicles is a huge problem all around the world and is impacting us and our Earth drastically. We need initiatives such as Ride Solar all across the globe to truly have a chance at making meaningful change while we still can. Ride Solar is the biggest clean energy-based tourism business in North America, making it a great example for other cities and countries to follow in their footsteps, to try and emulate the success they have had while also working towards a cleaner, greener environment.

Business benefit

Ride Solar’s innovation with solar panels has heavily benefited their business. For example, when they purchased a boat from New Brunswick they realized it was from the 1967 Montreal Expo. At the Montreal Expo, 8 boats chartered guests, and Ride Solar got one of the famous 8. They transformed it into the first solar-powered dinner cruise boat and also North America’s largest solar-powered boat. With this innovation, they took a boat with a deep history and they were able to transform it into something special. They used their innovation and boat’s history to create an added appeal for guests further setting them apart from other tourism businesses on the east coast.

Social and environmental benefit

This innovation benefits everyone and everything. It benefits individual communities, societies, and the entire earth by making it a cleaner and more habitable planet. In the grand scheme of things, it may be a small step, but it’s a step in the right direction. The promotion of environmental sustainability through companies like Ride Solar spreads the positive ideology that is needed in today’s world to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals and combat serious issues such as climate change.

Perhaps the most outstanding benefit this innovation contributes to society and the environment is the fact that solar-generated energy does not cause pollution. Using solar energy reduces the carbon footprint because it is a clean, sustainable, and efficient substitute for releasing toxic gases such as carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Solar energy does not produce any by-products or generate waste that could harm habitats or wildlife in water, land, or the air.

While these environmental advantages directly benefit society, there are many other positives that can be enjoyed by society as a result of Ride Solar’s work as well. Solar energy is a great benefit to the economy, as there are zero energy costs associated with production, distribution, and storage. When you consider the fact that transportation is in higher demand during the day, this means that Ride Solar’s innovations cooperate very nicely with our environment. Additionally, the economy can grow through new jobs that are provided by solar energy work.

Interview

Steve Arnold, Co-founder