Mar 16, 2016

By Cambridge News  |  Posted: March 16, 2016 By Adam Care Andy Rankin with one-year-old Ailsa at their eco-friendly houseboat VIEW GALLERY Meet the Cambridge scientist bidding for sustainable living - in a solar-powered... X Copy link to paste in your message / Andy Rankin with one-year-old Ailsa at their eco-friendly houseboat Pictures: David Johnson The boat is moored on Stourbridge Common Pictures: David Johnson Comments (1) The dream of living 'off grid' is still a way off for most of us, but it's been plain-sailing for one Cambridge scientist, whose specially kitted out houseboat is almost completely self-sufficient. Environmental scientist Andy Ranking moved to Cambridge 18 years ago to work at the British Antarctic Survey, and was adamant about finding an environmentally-friendly way of living. He told the News: "I was looking for somewhere to live and there was no way I could afford a house. I cycled along the river one day and thought why not get a boat instead? "I was working in the area of climate change, and I wanted to try and do whatever possible to reduce fossil fuel use, and in a boat that's relatively easy. " After purchasing a 58-foot boat for £10,000 he set about kitting it out with solar panels, in a bid to generate his own electricity. He said: "I just bought a completely empty vessel and fitted it out myself, all the plumbing, electrics and panelling. I just tried to do it in as environmentally-friendly a method as I can. " After a year of work he was able to move into the boat, moored at Stourbridge Common, relying almost entirely on his own power. He said: "All the electricity comes from solar panels. I did have a generator for a while but I took it out because I was never using it. "It is quite unusual as the engine is electric, and most people have diesel. That runs off the batteries, which are charged by the solar panels. " Now married with a one-year-old son, he is still "tinkering" with the family home, in a bid to become completely self-sufficient. "There are always little bits and pieces I am looking to improve", he said. "The one thing we still have is a bit of gas for cooking and I would like to get away from that, which would mean even more solar panels. " While his quest raised some eyebrows on the river when he first started, he said the drive for 'eco living' was becoming increasingly popular. He said: "I am not that unusual any more, most boats now have a lot of the same features as we do. "It's the one big change over the last 10 years as solar panels become cheaper. It used to be everyone's engines were chugging away in the evenings, but that is almost completely gone now. " He now runs Midsummer Energy, his own business selling solar panels and renewable technology, and has featured in an online video by the Canal and River Trust , sharing his tips for sustainable living.