IMO in about 5 years when some of the dust settles and...

IMO in about 5 years when some of the dust settles and technology tips the scales well and truly towards lithium battery technology we will see large merchant ships decked out with solar panels and huge batteries as ballast. The ships will be at a scale that enables the maximum cargo per trip while maximizing the amount of charge that can be generated on the go. The solar panels will top the batteries up to a degree while between port, but when loading and unloading it will refill.

Now imagine the world fleet of merchant ships being converted over the next 20+ years as older ones are retired.

Instead of scrubbing the deck the crew will be scrubbing and polishing the solar panels and removing seagull poo.