Electric Boats - Balm to the Norfolk Broads

Electric boats gliding peacefully through the beautiful Norfolk waterways not only soothe the human spirit, they help to protect the natural environment.

The Norfolk Broads are an area of tranquil wetlands unique in Europe, yet they are populated by numerous diesel and petrol boats which are generally noisy, smelly and polluting, and which do not use renewable energy. How much better is the slow pace of electric, rowing, pedalling and sailing boats, which are quiet, or even silent, non-polluting and which make use of sustainable energy.

Harnessing power from the sun and wind and tides is in itself a beautiful concept – and watermills, windmills and tidal mills have an ancient history. The Norfolk Broads are still witness to the use of wind power for drainage pumps, while the picturesque remains of windmills provide a contrast to the horizontal lines of fenland and skyscape. The Norfolk sailing wherries were part of this scene, quietly using the wind to transport bulk loads from fields and factories.

For many years these traditional forms of power largely fell out of use, but now things are changing. The Broads have seen an increase in electric boats over the last few years as a result of a grant scheme, with about 20 boats converted to electric power, and an increase in the provision of charging points. The Broads Green Boat Show has evolved out of these initiatives and from an earlier Broads Society electric boating event, A Silent Sensation.

Why do we need The Broads Green Boat Show?

Melting ice-caps, increasing droughts, rising sea levels….

Over the last few years it has become accepted that climate change due to the use of fossil fuels is a very pressing problem. Boating is fun, but it contributes to the problem. Boat owners owe it to the future of the environment that they enjoy when boating, to pursue all possible ways of reducing the use fossil fuels. Finding alternative fuels, making use of sustainable energy technology, as well as using materials from renewable or recycled sources, is essential.

The Broads Green Boat Show is the only show in the UK devoted to this cause. It brings together manufacturers and retailers to exhibit products and systems to a wider audience, at the same time providing a fun day out on the water.

Visitors can learn about the possibilities of solar panels for charging batteries to power electric boats, and wind turbines and the latest updates on fuel cells and bio-diesel. For a hands-on experience, you can try out a pedal-powered boat, or sample the pleasures of a range of electric boats – from small day boats to 4-berth cruisers.

The Broads Green Boat Show adds to the growing movement towards a more enlightened policy on preserving our environment both now, and for our children and grandchildren.

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