Planetsolar News

After several days of waiting for favorable weather, the MS Tûranor Planet Solar, the largest solar boat in the world, left the city of Boston, carrying three scientific team members from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and a researcher from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the largest center of its kind in the world, with whom UNIGE is collaborating for this expedition. This important stopover in the capital of Massachusetts was crucial in the planning of the “DeepWater” expedition’s itinerary…

The world’s largest all-solar ship has been circumnavigating the globe since 2010. In May 2012, the vessel completed a 584-day, 37,000-mile global journey through three oceans and 11 seas with 52 stopovers in 28 countries. But most impressively, the vessel did it all without consuming any fuel. Now on its second world tour, Switzerland’s MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is docked in New York’s Battery Park City Ferry Terminal where Maritime Reporter was given an opportunity to climb aboard the sun-powered vessel at a press event on Tuesday, June 18.

swissnex Boston welcomes "PlanetSolar DeepWater Expedition," June 22-26, 2013. In support of its mission to build stronger relationships between scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators in Massachusetts and Switzerland, swissnex Boston is welcoming the world's largest solar-powered boat to Boston's Fan Pier for its inaugural visit. Together with PlanetSolar and the University of Geneva, swissnex Boston is hosting a series of educational, business and media events about solar technology and climate change…

The solar-powered vessel has recently sailed the 2,867 miles from Las Palmas to St. Martin, French WI, at an average 5.3 knots to break the earlier record. During the trip around the world (2010-2012), the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar sailed for 26 days from one side of the Atlantic to the other, thereby claiming the world record speed for a solar-powered transatlantic crossing and her first entry in the Guinness World Records™. It hasn’t been broken since. It was not until 2013 that the largest solar boat in the world repeated the trip to realize a new global accomplishment: 22 days…

After completing the world’s first solar-powered journey around the world, 'PlanetSolar' has a marine science mission. The unique ocean-going catamaran has found a new occupation for the New Year. PlanetSolar is intended to be the mode of transport for the Deepwater Project, a scientific mission led by the University of Geneva to collect data on the Gulf Stream’s behavior, the ocean current responsible for maintaining much of Europe’s temperate  climate. The advantage of using PlanetSolar for such an expedition is that it’s emissions-free…

Imtech N.V. (technical services provider in Europe) is acting as technology partner of PlanetSolar, a solar energy powered ship. In 2011, PlanetSolar will set sail on a world cruise of approximately 50,000 km, with the aim of promoting solar energy and the use of environmentally-conscious alternative fuel for sailing. PlanetSolar is a high-tech 85 ton, 31 meters (101.7 ft) long and 15 meters (49.2 ft) wide catamaran, covered by 537 m2 of solar panels. The futuristic-looking ship is powered by two 10 kW electric motors.

On March 31, 2010 the roof at the HDW Shipyard in Kiel, Germany slid open to reveal to the daylight the what is claimed to be the world’s largest solar powered vessel, a wavepiercer catamaran named Planet Solar. Appearing small against the back drop of the giant crane hoisting her to the water and the enormous ship building halls she was assembled in, the 101.7 ft long, 52.5 ft wide carbon fiber craft was launched a few hours later into the Kiel fjord, floating to her lines and looking more like a misplaced space ship than an ocean going yacht.