ms turanor planet solar yacht

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Construction

PlanetSolar was designed by the naval architect from New Zealand, Craig Loomes , and financed by the German entrepreneur, Immo Ströher . She started her build in 2008 in Kiel, Germany in the Knierim Yachtbau shipyard. PlanetSolar took shape and turned into a giant catamaran, the world’s largest ever built .

With a futuristic appearance the giant solar vessel was nevertheless entirely designed and fitted out with the latest technology . In fact, it was very important to Raphaël Domjan to prove that technologies did exist for achieving solar energy exploits and that they already had immense potential. All the materials, components and instruments used in PlanetSolar are therefore available on the market .

On 25 February 2010 more than 200 guests attended the unveiling of PlanetSolar in Kiel. Shortly afterwards, on 31 March, the largest catamaran in the world felt the lap of the water for the first time in Kiel , to the unconcealed emotion of the team which had made this moment possible. After sea trials she was ferried to the Mediterranean , ready to start her circumnavigation adventure.

Technical aspects Length 31 m Length (with “flaps”) 35 m Width 16 m Width (with “flaps”) 26 m Unladen weight 89 t Height (above the waterline) 6.5 m Total surface area of the solar panels 536.65 m 2 Number of modules 825 Number of photovoltaic cell 38'000 Cell efficiency 22.6% Total weight of the Li-Ion batteries 12 t Autonomy without sunshine 3 days Cruising speed 5 knots Maximum speed 9 knots Maximum engine power 120 kW Crusing speed power 20 kW Peak performance 93.5 kW Developments initiated

As a result of collaboration with the Engineering school (Ecole d’ingénieur ) in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland, MeteoFrance and the French company Adrena, the PlanetSolar navigation system was enhanced by software simulating the best solar routing.

These days this software is used by many cargo ships and also by yachtsmen, particularly in the Vendée Globe, because it enables the best route to be simulated by incorporating all the vessel characteristics and the weather parameters.

• Photo Essay

An inside look at the world's largest solar-powered boat

Tûranor planetsolar, first boat to circle the globe with solar power, poses for photos in nyc.

By Dante D'Orazio

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Catamarans are fairly odd-looking boats, but earlier this week a special breed was docked at the North Cove Marina in Lower Manhattan. Alongside the typical handful of South Florida-based yachts that pop up here during the summer was an angular, flat-topped catamaran with a glistening blue deck called the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar. There's a reason why this boat stands out: last year it became the first ship to circumnavigate the globe on solar power alone . The 89,000 kg (nearly 100 ton) ship needs a massive solar array to capture enough energy to push itself through the ocean. An impressive 512 square meters (roughly 5,500 square feet) of photovoltaic cells, to be exact, charge the 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries that are stored in the ship's two hulls.

The Tûranor PlanetSolar ( tûranor means "power of the sun" in Elvish) is taking a break in New York from its current mission: a science expedition from Miami to Norway led by a University of Geneva-based research team. The climatologists, biologists, and physicists aboard the PlanetSolar are taking measurements of the Gulf Stream to better understand the relationship between the ocean and the atmosphere in an effort to gain new insight about climate change. In particular, they're studying and measuring currents, airborne particles called aerosols that reflect infrared heat and solar radiation, and the myriad natural phenomena that allow the Gulf Stream to function. Since the PlanetSolar is seaworthy and is emission-free, it allows the team to ensure that measurements aren't skewed by exhaust.

During the New York stopover press was invited aboard the PlanetSolar for a view of this boat that functions without any carbon emissions. The vessel might not be the most practical — it's big, it's slow, and it needs to avoid clouds — but it's a bold demonstration of how renewable resources might power ships of the future.

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Largest solar-powered boat completes around-the-world voyage

MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the world's largest solar-powered boat, today completed an incredible round-the-world journey which has earned the catamaran and its crew a total of five world records.

Having begun its voyage in September 2010 with a mission to promote renewable energy, the vessel docked at Hercule Harbor in Monaco this afternoon to end its epic journey and become the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the globe.

As well as setting a new record for the longest journey by solar-powered boat, the project has also seen the catamaran claim Guinness World Record titles for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by solar power and the fastest crossing of the South China Sea by solar power.

Measuring 31-metres in length and featuring 537 square metres of black solar panels mounted around its raised cockpit, the boat sailed more than 60'000 km during its 19-month adventure, travelling over every ocean and continent using only photovoltaic energy.

As well as passing through the Panama and Suez canals, the boat also made stop-offs in 28 countries including Mexico, Australia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, with the breaks used to promote the use of solar energy at local events.

Swiss electrical engineer Raphael Domjan was inspired to start the project nine years ago after seeing the effects of climate change on an Icelandic glacier.

Speaking to AFP-TV ahead of the final leg of the journey, Domjan explained: "The idea was not to perform a feat but an eco-adventure with the aim of passing on the message that change is possible".

"We have everything at our disposal: the know-how, technology, raw materials and renewable energy to become sustainable and protect the planet".

Designed and constructed over a period of two years, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar cost a total of 15 million euros to build following funding by a number of sponsors and private partners.

Festivities celebrating the boat's arrival are set to continue throughout the night in Monaco, with a light show and a concert by Swiss band Sonalp both being powered in suitable fashion by the energy stored in the craft's batteries.

planetsolar: the first solar powered boat around the world

the world-record setting ‘MS tûranor planetsolar’ is the first entirely solar-powered ship to circumnavigate the globe

at 2:00pm on september 27th, 2010, the ‘MS tûranor planetsolar ‘ boat set sail from the port of monaco, with the intention of achieving the first voyage around the world powered exclusively by solar energy. 585 days, 28 countries, three oceans and 11 seas later, the boat completed its journey, crossing its finish line in monaco at 2:12pm.

this month, ‘planetsolar’ has just set out for a new journey, sailing from coast to coast in the mediterranean sea as a living exhibition of the commercial viability of solar technology. the craft has completed visits in barcelona and mallorca, spain, and has just docked in cagliari, on the italian island of sardinia. ‘more than a ship‘, the new crew explains, ‘[‘planetsolar’] is now a mobile battery‘, designed to power light shows, concerts, and press exhibitions as it docks in each port.

visitors are invited to explore ‘planetsolar’ in person in cagliari through july 30th, 2012, and listen to new captain eric dumont speak about the ship and its journey on the morning (11:00am) of tuesday, july 24th.

named ‘tûranor’ after ‘the power of the sun’ in JRR tolkein’s book ‘the lord of the rings’, the 35-meter long (115-foot) catamaran is covered in 537 square meters (5780 square feet) of photovoltaic panels with 18.8% yield, generating an estimated 260,000 kWh of energy over its 60,006-kilometer (37,000 nautical mile) journey. 38,000 individual solar cells feed six blocks of lithium-ion batteries.

the ‘planet solar’ craft itself was developed over the course of eight years, requiring 14 months of construction. the project was founded in 2004 by swiss explorer raphaël domjan and financed by german entrepreneur immo ströher. new zealand designer craig loomes directed the development of the double hull vessel, working alongside engineers to optimize not only the energy collection but also the aerodynamics and efficiency of the lightweight carbon ship.

‘planetsolar’ holds four naval records: the fastest crossing of the atlantic ocean by solar boat (26 days 19 hours 10 minutes); the longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle; the first circumnavigation achieved by solar craft (taking 1 year 7 months and 7 days); and the fastest crossing of the south china sea by solar power (4 days 23 hours 45 minutes).

for its world tour, the catamaran set sail with a crew of six, which was reduced to four for the second leg of the journey, although six former french soldiers were also dispatched to the boat for protection around the gulf of aden, where the crew closely evaded pirates in march 2012 as it rounded the coast somalia.

beginning in june 2012, a new crew led by french captain eric dumont has taken the helm.

view behind-the-scenes of the construction of the ship, and footage of the boat in sail

entrepreneur immo stroeher addresses the 2011 ITB conference in berlin about the ‘planet solar’ project

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PlanetSolar solar-powered superyacht breaks its own transatlantic crossing record

The solar-powered, 31m multihull superyacht MS Tûranor PlanetSolar has broken its own speed record for a solar-powered transatlantic crossing. During her 2010 to 2012 round-the-world journey, the solar-powered yacht crossed the Atlantic in 26 days , making it into the Guinness Book of World Records .

Traveling 2,867 miles at an average speed of 5.3 knots, now MS Tûranor PlanetSolar has bested her own time by completing a transatlantic crossing in 22 days, 12 hours and 32 minutes, transiting from Las Palmas, Spain, to Marigot, St. Martin, in the French West Indies.

After staying in Fort Louis Marina in St. Martin until May 22, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar will set a course for Miami, Florida, where she will begin work on the PlanetSolar DeepWater scientific expedition along the Gulf Stream ocean current. Professor Martin Benistor, climatologist and director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva, will lead a team on board the solar-powered cat while she sails along the Gulf Stream, collecting physical and biological air and water measurements in order to determine climate regulation, with a focus on atmospheric aerosols and phytoplankton. The 2013 campaign and research is funded by the University of Geneva and additional sponsors.

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