Could this launch photo of the innovative new renewable energy powered superyacht S/Y Zero be any more Dutch? Um, no.

Tom Van Oossanen

I’ve reported on quite a few sustainability efforts in the yachting sector over the last few years. But I have to say, none have made as bold a sustainability claim as the newly launched and aptly-named S/Y Zero (as in Net Zero). S/Y Zero has been designed and built to operate purely on renewable energy.

Now, of course, all sailing yachts are inherently sustainable when it comes to propulsion…in the right conditions. But, to my knowledge, there’s never been a large yacht—with significant operational power demands—that can operate purely on renewable energy…until now.

S/Y Zero started when Vripack Design, Dykstra Naval Architects, and Vitters Shipyard, started visualizing how yacht that could actually operate without needing any fossil fuel. This is obviously not the only example of skies-the-limit thinking when it comes to yachting and renewable energy. But what I really love this project is instead of just being a collection of big ideas, cool concepts and interesting renderings, S/Y Zero is a real, live, super-sexy, 226-foot-long superyacht that’s designed to do what many have not thought possible—to run on renewable energy and only renewable energy.

I’ve always said that sustainability in yachting will only really be adopted if it’s cool. And to my eye, S/Y Zero is going to be wicked cool because she’ll be able to show just how far a large yacht can go without burning fossil fuel thanks to a wide variety of technical solutions ranging from innovative masts and 250 kW hydrogeneration system, to advanced hybrid photovoltaic-thermal panels, and a custom suite of software to handle energy storage, management, and efficiency. Better yet, these solutions are also being shared via an open-source platform to ensure the whole industry can explore, adopt, adapt and refine these technologies for other projects.

In fact, all the data from her systems, research insights, software code, and design schematics are available to anyone via the non-profit, open source Foundationº platform at foundationzero.org.

I also love the way S/Y Zero pays homage to the golden age of sail while also blending with modern details to show people that embracing renewables and eliminating fossil fuels need not require settling for utilitarian styling and unsightly design.

“S/Y Zero has been our perfect storm,” says Marnix Hoekstra, Co-creative Director at Vripack. “It challenged us in all the ways we like to be tested, and we will forever be proud to have been part of this very special team.”

Louis Hamming, CEO of Vitters Shipyard adds, “We look forward seeing S/Y Zero in her natural habitat, and showing the world what can be achieved when creative minds embark together on a voyage to create a yacht that proves what can be done to make the world and the seas a little better.”

Her launch, however, does not signify the end of the project, but rather the beginning of an extensive sea trial period. “For years, Zero has existed as a vision, a series of calculations, design studies, and engineering hypotheses,” says Mark Leslie-Miller, Partner at Dykstra Naval Architects. “Seeing her afloat transforms all of that into a living experiment.”

And just wait till she sets sail.

This one is going to be fun to watch.