The world’s largest solar boat, MS TURANOR PlanetSolar sailing under the Swiss flag, is expected next week in the capital of the Philippines. For PlanetSolar it will be the first stop in Asia. With this stop the expedition, which attempts to complete the first world tour using only solar energy, will reach its fifth continent.
MS TURANOR PlanetSolar
The stop in Manila was inspired by the official partner SunPower. The Californian company is the producer of the solar cells that are used on PlanetSolar. These cells are produced in one of their largest factories located close to Manila. Appropriately, a majority of the 4,500 SunPower employees in Manila will welcome “their” solar cells.
The solar powered yacht PlanetSolar MS TURANOR in Brisbain
Since the departure from Cairns, Australia, PlanetSolar has crossed the equator for the second time and mastered the change from the winter in the Southern hemisphere to the summer in the Northern hemisphere. This was accomplished despite some strong winds, waves and uncertain weather. They also had to be careful with rebel situations in the South of the Philippines. Due to several warnings from the authorities, the PlanetSolar crew had to take some detours and also had to hide their position on the daily blog and the virtual world map on the website. The crew used distraction messages in order to lead potential invaders astray.
Stunning image of PlanetSolar MS TURANOR in French Polynesia
The founder and co-skipper of PlanetSolar, Raphaël Domjan said, “We are very pleased that the PlanetSolar crew passed the first pirate test successfully, with this they demonstrated that their journey is safe, not only technically but also tactically. We have successfully covered more than 35,000 km, and we are looking forward to also reach the Asian countries with our important message. Today we can proudly say that we have a project which mastered the longest distance ever with only the help of the sun, and that alone is worth a lot.”
MS TURANOR PlanetSolar Yacht in one of the most beautiful yacht charter destinations - French Polynesia
The PlanetSolar project was founded by the Swiss Raphaël Domjan. The project team is located in Yverdon, canton of Vaud, in western Switzerland. The world’s largest solar boat was given the name “TURANOR” which means “Power of the Sun,” inspired by the film saga “The Lord of the Rings.” The MS TÛRANOR PlanetSolar began her journey on the 27th of September 2010 in Monaco. She wants to prove with her world tour that alternative energy systems are already effective and reliable today. The boat is made up of more than 540 square meters of solar cells from SunPower. For the first circumnavigation of the world they are using a “sun route software and forecast system” for the first time. This system gives the crew information on the expected weather, wave height, clouds, and sun intensity. Several companies and institutions worked on both the boat development and its respective systems, mostly from Switzerland, Germany, and France. The biggest partners of the expedition are; the watch producer Candino, the energy management company Immosolar, the solar cell producer SunPower, and the Swiss Confederation, who is especially responsible for the organization of activites at the stopovers, for example, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
