World’s largest solar boat under construction in Germany

by Gaea News on 13 Apr 2009 A team of scientists, engineers, and yachtsmen are making what they say will be the largest solar boat ever built, with a view to making a trip around the world.Planet Solar is being built at the Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel, Germany.
The 13-million-dollar revolutionary vessel will be 98 feet long and 50 feet wide. That climbs to 114 feet and 82 feet when the solar panels are fully unfurled.

It will feature 5,059 square feet of photovoltaic cells. Rivendell Holding AG, a Swiss firm that invests in renewable energy, is funding the project. The objective behind this project is to prove that the shipping industry can reduce its dependence on fossil fuel. The team plans to circumnavigate the globe at the equator in 120 days at an average speed of 10 knots.

Should they succeed, Planet Solar will set a maritime milestone because no one has circumnavigated the globe in a solar electric boat thus far. 'Solar boats are a viable form of transportation for the future. Our society is too dependent on fossil fuels, which are in limited supply and which are causing measurable negative effects on the earth’s atmosphere,' Wired.com quoted Delia Collardi, a spokeswoman for the project, as saying.

Work on the solar cat’s hulls is almost complete, but the project still has a long way to go.

Full story: http://blog.taragana.com