It has taken 61 days for PlanetSolar to cross the Atlantic from Monaco to Miami, including stops at Las Palmas and St. Maarten. In total a distance of over 5,500
nautical miles. PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar powered boat looks as if its a replica of the StarShip Enterprise from the StarTrek movie and television franchises. The big difference however is this is REAL!!! PlanetSolar is on a trip around the world to demonstrate the full capacity of solar energy. The wessel, I mean vessel, sorry got a little too much into StarTrek character Chekov, is 100% powered by the sun. When StarTrek opened with it timeless intro’ Space the final Frontier it’s producers and writers had maybe sorta, kinda overlooked the fact that right here on planet earth the world’s oceans still remain largely undiscovered and taken for granted. Philippe Cousteau, Jr. Co-Founder and CEO of EarthEcho and grandson of famed oceanographer who spoke about the BP oil rig explosion earlier this year put it bluntly saying,”we treat the ocean like it’s a toilet.
PlanetSolar helps us all see the relationship between clean renewable energy in transportation and the conservation of the worlds oceans. PlanetSolar has an impressive CREW and a group of supporters such as IMMOSOLAR, Candino Swiss Watch, SunPower and Jean Verne, Great-Grandson of the writer, Jules Verne who writes,” In the spirit of the PlanetSolar project that calls upon scientists, technicians, industries, financiers and scholars who are working together on an “extraordinary voyage into known and unknown worlds,” I am writing these few words at the same time our society is asking the unthinkable question of its own survival. A special thanks to my Great-Grandfather Jules Verne who has given the PlanetSolar team the idea, the will, the audacity and who has inspired such an exciting, valuable project.”
The leading-edge solar catamaran (without flaps) boosts 101 feet length, 52 length in width, and approximately 1,171 square feet of solar panels as the solar generator. The specially developed energy storage should permit the boat to move for approximately 3 days and nights without sunlight. The MS TÛRANOR PlanetSolar was designed by the extraordinary designer and constructor Craig Loomes and his company LOMOcean (New Zealand). It has been built by high-performance yacht builder Knierim, based in Kiel (Germany). The boat is navigating under Swiss flag.
The goal of the PlanetSolar is to circumnavigate the globe driven exclusively by solar energy.The current routing around the globe foresees stopovers in Miami, Cancun, San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and returning to Monaco. The project PlanetSolar will inform the public about the importance of sustainability and renewable energies. PlanetSolar has already made technological developments possible in many fields such as the production of composite materials and structures, and also the production and storage of solar energy. Each stage in the project and each day that PlanetSolar sails will enable science to progress. At the heart of this project is the conservation of our planet by the promotion of solar energy, energy efficiency and eco-mobility. This is a great occasion to advance knowledge and to inform and make the general public aware of the importance of renewable energy.