Planet Solar

Solar-powered Catamaran

Excitement is brewing in the green and boating worlds with the launching of the solar-powered catamaran Solar Planet on February 25th in Kiev, Germany.

It is the largest solar-powered boat built to date and will be embarking on a voyage around the world to test its metal! Designed and made in Germany, this solar catamaran is set to shine. X

“The $24m multihull white catamaran is topped by around 5,300 square feet of black photovoltaic solar panels consisting of 38,000 next-generation solar cells provided by solar manufacturer SunPower,” Tom Young of Business Green writes.

The solar cells boast an efficiency of at least 22% — “the highest conversion efficiency that is currently commercially available.”

In April, skipper and chief executive of the PlanetSolar project, Raphael Domjan, and a co-skipper will start on a world tour of about 24,850 miles (39,992 kilometers) to raise awareness about solar power. They will, roughly, travel along the equator. The boat will travel at a top speed of about 15 knots or 17mph (27.3 km/h).

This is the biggest boat fully powered by solar panels, but there are others getting into this as well.