After a year of sailing, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar continues its world tour and has made a stop in Singapore, an essential stop to conduct a full inspection. This big solar sailboat will remain at the harbour “VivoCity,” one of the largest shopping centers in Singapore, where it will stay for several days.
After One Year of Sailing - PlanetSolar in Singapore
September 27 2010, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, the largest solar boat ever built, left the port of Monaco for the first trip around the world, powered only by solar energy. After a year of navigation and over 40,000 kilometres, during which the boat had made stops in Miami, Cancun, Panama, Galapagos Islands, Bora Bora, Tonga, Brisbane, Manila and Hong Kong, three quarters of the PlanetSolar world tour have already been completed.
Ms Turanor - PlanetSolar departs Monaco 27 September 2010 - Photo courtesy of PlanetSolar
The ship is sailing under the Swiss flag and has stopped for fifteen days in Singapore to conduct important technical maintenance works. Singapore was chosen as the place to have this maintenance done due to the excellent quality of its shipyards.
The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar and its interactive exhibition “SolarVillage” will be held in VivoCity from the 12th to 16th of October 2011, from 10:00 to 22:00. This is an opportunity for the public to meet and to get to know the crew as well as to understand their reasons for and commitment towards sustainable development.
Program:
Wednesday, October 12th, 2011
17h00 – 17h30 Arrival of PlanetSolar at VivoCity and welcoming ceremony
17h30 – 18h30 Press conference on board with a project presentation held by the
PlanetSolar crew
Various activities related to solar energy will take place near the boat with the support of the Swiss Embassy. Children can participate in small solar boat races and also discover in a fun way the enormous potential of renewable energy.
In parallel to these activities, lectures and discussions will be done thanks to the collaboration of several universities in Singapore: « Nanyang Technological University », « Singapore Polytechnic » and « National Youth Achievement Award Council of Singapore ». Discussions will focus on the issue of technological challenge associated with solar energy. These conferences are organized in collaboration with “Swissnex Singapore”, one of our scientific partners and the School of Engineering of the Canton of Vaud (Switzerland).
About PlanetSolar
PlanetSolar was initiated by the Swiss Raphaël Domjan and has its headquarters in Yverdon-les-Bains, Switzerland. The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, built in Kiel, Germany, is a catamaran powered exclusively by solar energy. It is covered with 537 m2 of photovoltaic panels. After two years of design and construction, PlanetSolar is behind many technological advances, especially in the field of composite manufacturing and storage of solar energy. PlanetSolar is primarily funded by private partners, the Swiss watchmaker Candino and German specialist in energy management Immosolar, but also by public institutions, including the Swiss Confederation, with « Presence Suisse ». Moreover, PlanetSolar uses weather forecasts offered by MeteoFrance. An innovative software has been developed specifically for this expedition.
Features of MS Tûranor PlanetSolar
• Length: 35 m / Width: 23 m
• Height: 6.10 m / Weight: 95 t
• Solar Panels: 38’000 with 22,6% yield
• Maximum engine power: 120 kW
• Average Engine: 20 kW (26.8 HP)
• Crew: min 4 people
