Bill Gates’ eco-yacht generates mansion-powering electricity and emits no CO2
Published on Aug 18, 2025 at 6:00 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Aug 18, 2025 at 12:45 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Bill Gates’ eco-yacht Breakthrough generates enough electricity to power 30 of his sprawling 66,000-square-foot mansions at once.
The superyacht uses liquid nitrogen to generate clean, carbon-free energy.
It can run entirely on hydrogen for a week while anchored.
The eco-yacht generates enough energy to power hundreds of average US homes, or around 30 of Gates’ mega-mansions.
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Bill Gates’ eco-yacht Breakthrough uses a 3MW hydrogen fuel cell
Many of the world’s richest folks have splashed out on a superyacht for themselves, from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who owns Koru, and WhatsApp billionaire Jan Koum, who recently took delivery of a 331-foot vessel made by Feadship.
However, even among those incredible boats, the eco-yacht rumored to have recently been snapped up by Bill Gates stands out.
The 389-foot vessel was built by Feadship and designed by RWD.
The superyacht has a 3-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell system and uses ABB’s Onboard DC Grid platform, which includes a couple of 3.2-megawatt Azipod propulsion units and advanced power management systems. The compressed liquid hydrogen is stored below deck at -253°C/-423°F.
Its hydrogen power plant produced enough energy to power around 30 times what Gates’ Xanadu 2.0 estate needs to run.
The vessel isn’t designed to cruise while running on hydrogen, but uses the alternative power source for its entire hotel load, which uses up around 70 percent of a yacht’s energy, and for low-speed cruising between harbors.
The superyacht took around five years to complete and is a major step on the way to creating net-zero yachts.
The vessel’s creation has already inspired similar maritime technologies.
According to Edminston, two Norwegian ferries will be entering service using the system that was developed for Breakthrough.
And that’s likely just to be the start, as the maritime sector explores ways to make water travel greener and more energy efficient.
The ‘greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built’
Jamie Edmiston, CEO of Edmiston, has hailed Breakthrough as the ‘greenest’ yacht ever built.
“The brief was to build the greenest and most environmentally advanced yacht ever built, without compromise,” he said.
“It was a huge challenge, but one that the team has embraced and delivered on.
“The yacht we see today, designed by RWD and built by Feadship is without doubt the best yacht ever built. I am proud to have been involved since the inception of this idea.”
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
