by Nick
26. February 2010 20:12
A 31m-long motorboat powered entirely by the sun, the PlanetSolar, is set to embark on a circumnavigation in 2011.
She was designed by PlanetSolar and built by Knierim in Kiel, and is claimed to be the largest solar-powered boat in the world. The 500 square metres of solar panels will cover almost all the upper surfaces of the boat, which, together with her wave piercing technology, should enable her to cruise at an average speed of 8 knots.
Seatrials are expected to begin in late March, and she is scheduled to make her 40,000km voyage around the world via the Panama and Suez canals piloted by a two man crew in 2011. The voyage will begin and end in the Mediterranean
Source Knierim yacht Club in Kiel
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