A parliamentary standing committee yesterday asked the energy, power and mineral resources ministry to prepare a master plan on generating electricity from alternative sources such as solar, wind and wave power.

The ministry was also asked to submit the plan to the committee and the government within three months.

Energy: Enthusiasm for renewable energy means wind turbines and solar panels are popping up all over the place. But what happened to wave power?
Finavera

Japanese sailor Kenichi Horie set sail from Hawaii, the US, to Japan on a wave-powered boat on March 16. The three-tonne boat, called Suntory Mermaid II, is made of recycled aluminium and relies on

A string of three red steel tubes, each the size of a railway carriage, lies low in the water off the northern coast of Portugal. As the snub-nosed apparatus rises and dips in the Atlantic waves, it becomes immediately clear why this pioneering energy technology is called Pelamis after a mythical giant sea snake. Later this year, these wave energy converters, developed over many years of testing by Edinburgh-based Pelamis Wave Power, will be pumping electricity into Portugal's national grid, making it the first country in the world to harness wave energy on a commercial basis.

Only up to powering light bulbs so far, "salt power' is a tantalising if distant prospect as high oil prices make alternative energy sources look more economical.

Japanese sailor Kenichi Horie, who has sailed non-stop around the world and crossed the Pacific in a solar-powered boat made of recycled aluminium beer cans, is off on his next solo adventure at sea.

Kenichi Horie, who has crossed the Pacific in a solar-powered boat made of recycled aluminium, is getting ready for his next solo sea adventure. The 69-year-old Japanese sailor will set out March 16 on what he says will be the world's longest voyage in a wave-powered boat. Speaking through a translator at the Hawaii Yacht Club, Mr. Horie said he would travel more than 6,400 km from Honolulu to Japan aboard a 3-tonne yacht called the Suntory Mermaid II at a speed of up to 5 knots. The boat made of recycled aluminium relies on the energy of waves to move two fins at its bow and propel it forward. Mr. Horie said it is a sturdy vessel, designed to right itself if it capsizes. But it is equipped with an engine and an 11-m sail mast for emergencies. The journey, which would take a diesel-powered boat about 10 days to complete, is expected to take him about 2.5 months. He will take along rice, canned food and microwaveable meals. And beer. Solar panels atop the catamaran will power the microwave, and Mr. Horie will have a satellite phone and access to e-mail. "With so many people supporting me, even by myself, I won't feel lonesome,' Mr. Horie said. To pass the time, he said, he would also take books and a radio. "I still think he's crazy for doing this,' said Howie Mednick, vice commodore of the Hawaii Yacht Club. But he called the voyage "historical' and "amazing.' A spokesman promoting the voyage said the sailor hoped the shipping industry would eventually adopt the clean wave technology. The journey would not be Mr. Horie's first time travelling the seas using green technology. In 1992, he powered a boat by pedalling, travelling from Hawaii to Okinawa. And in 1996, he sailed nearly 16,000 km from Ecuador to Tokyo aboard a solar-powered boat made largely from recycled aluminium beer cans.