Solar panels are so passé—Riviera thinks so anyway. The Australian yacht builder has teamed up with solar specialist Praxis to develop a new type of “solar skin” for models ranging from 39 to 78 feet. Sunreef has been incorporating a similar sort of integrated photovoltaic technology into its catamarans for about five years, but Riviera is rolling it out to motor yachts. “The pioneering efforts of our brilliant design team and the credentialed Praxis team have created an ingenious solution to reducing our yachts’ reliance on generated or shore power,” Riviera owner and chairman Rodney Longhurst said in a statement. “This is a significant breakthrough in many ways and with so many benefits from sustainability to enhancing the boating experience of Riviera yacht owners the world over.” Unlike traditional rigid solar panels that are mounted atop aluminum frames, the new ultra-thin nano-composite solar skin is bonded directly into the yacht’s hardtop during the moulding..
