Tûranor PlanetSolar
Encyclopedia

Tûranor PlanetSolar, also known under the project name PlanetSolar, is an entirely solar powered boat that was launched on 31 March 2010. It was built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...

, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and was designed by LOMOcean Design
LOMOcean Design
LOMOcean Design is a naval architecture and yacht design company based in Auckland, New Zealand.-History:LOMOcean Design, previously known as Craig Loomes Design Group ltd., was incorporated in 1993, but has some designs that date back as far as 1986...

, formerly known as Craig Loomes Design Group Ltd.. It is the largest solar-powered boat in the world.

Similarly to Earthrace
Earthrace
MY Ady Gil was a , wave-piercing trimaran, which was originally created as part of a project to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The vessel was powered by biodiesel fuel, but was also capable of running on regular diesel fuel...

, another boat designed by LOMOcean Design, Tûranor PlanetSolar is planning to set a round-the-world
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...

 record that will promote the use of sustainable energy
Sustainable energy
Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...

. Instead of using Bio Diesel like Earthrace, Tûranor PlanetSolar plans to exclusively use solar power. In doing so, Tûranor PlanetSolar will become the first ever boat to circumnavigate the world using solar power alone. In order to fulfill this challenge, the boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull
Hull (watercraft)
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, where present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline.The structure of the hull varies depending on the vessel type...

. Although its hull is capable of hosting 200 persons, the shape of the boat means that it will be able to reach speeds of up to fourteen knots. The boat's hull has been model tested in wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...

s and has been tank tested to determine the hydrodynamics
Fluid dynamics
In physics, fluid dynamics is a sub-discipline of fluid mechanics that deals with fluid flow—the natural science of fluids in motion. It has several subdisciplines itself, including aerodynamics and hydrodynamics...

 and aerodynamics
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object. Aerodynamics is a subfield of fluid dynamics and gas dynamics, with much theory shared between them. Aerodynamics is often used synonymously with gas dynamics, with...

 of the hull. This 31 meter long boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht
Luxury yacht
The term luxury yacht, “Superyacht” and "Large Yacht" refers to very expensive, privately owned yachts which are professionally crewed. Also known as a Super Yacht, a luxury yacht may be either a sailing or motor yacht.-History:...

 after the record attempt is finished.

On 27 September 2010 Tûranor PlanetSolar started on a journey around the world in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

. With this expedition, the iniatiors of the project would like to focus the public awareness on the importance of renewable energies for environmental protection. The crew of six will circumnavigate the globe solely with the aid of solar power. Captain of the expedition is Frenchman Patrick Marchesseau. Other participants are Christian Ochsenbein (Bern, Switzerland) and Jens Langwasser (Kiel, Germany); as well as project initiator Raphael Domjan (Yverdon-les Bain, Switzerland). On the first leg across the Atlantic Ocean technician Daniel Stahl (Kiel, Germany) and first mate Mikaela von Koskull (Finland) were part of the crew. On 27 November 2010 the solar boat reached Miami. A significant stopover was Cancún, during the United Nations World Climate Conference.

At the centerline of the world tour, the French Canadian Captain Erwann Le Rouzic took over in New Caledonia mid may 2011, for the further circumnavigation sharing the master's responsibility with Captain Patrick Marchesseau.

End of May 2011, the world's largest solar boat docked at Brisbane, where in an official ceremony the "PlanetSolar Relay for Hope" was launched, a global relay children and young people can take part in and present their visions and hopes for a solar energy driven world through essays, videos, music, drawing and models.

On the first solar boat expedition around the globe, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar has already reached two records: fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle.

The current routing around the globe (subject to favourable weather and nautical conditions) foresees stopovers in several port cities to inform the public about the importance of sustainable and renewable energies.

The boat is registered in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 and was financed by a German entrepreneur. Construction cost was
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

 12.5 million. The name Tûranor, derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a high fantasy epic written by English philologist and University of Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkien. The story began as a sequel to Tolkien's earlier, less complex children's fantasy novel The Hobbit , but eventually developed into a much larger work. It was written in...

, translates to "The Power of the Sun".

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