JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010 - 44

USERS’ PLATFORM Application PlanetSolar: around the world on the world’s largest solar-powered boat The goal of the PlanetSolar adventure, and an adventure it most certainly is, is to succeed in the first circumnavigation of the globe in a "solar” boat, i.e.: one powered by silent, nonpolluting electric motors, run exclusively on solar power. T he finishing touches to the construction of the world’s largest solar-powered boat are being made at the Knierim Yachtbau shipyard in Kiel, Germany. The boat is due to be unveiled to the world on February 25. Its construction will have taken barely a year to complete. A European tour of boat and village is planned from May to October 2010, with the round-the-world trip scheduled to begin in April 2011, starting in the Mediterranean. This first solar global circumnavigation will take place from East to West, along an equatorial route, and is due to last 140 days. The two sailors onboard PlanetSolar will cross the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal, the Pacific and Indian Oceans and finally the Suez Canal, returning to the Mediterranean. This enterprise has necessitated technological developments in many fields, such as the production of composite materials and structures and the production and storage of photovoltaic energy (electricity). Focus The first ever solar-powered circumnavigation of the globe should send many records tumbling and set a number of world firsts: the first ever solar-powered roundthe-world trip by whatever form of transport, the first crossing of the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean under solar power, the first roundthe-world trip in a solar-powered boat and a record crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. development. Promotional boat trips are also planned to be laid on at each stopover. An educational agenda Our society depends on energy derived from fossil fuels, which we know to be finite and the effects of which can today be measured in the effects on the atmosphere. PlanetSolar is designed to demonstrate the potential offered by renewable energies in the field of mobility. The preservation of the planet via the promotion of solar power, energy efficiency and sustainable mobility is therefore the central focus of the project. This represents a superb opportunity to inform the general public and raise general awareness about the importance of renewable energies. Between each leg of the voyage, the itinerant village accompanying the boat will be there to promote solar energy and sustainable A floating test lab PlanetSolar is a revolutionary catamaran, 30m in length by 16m wide, carrying 470m² of photovoltaic solar panels. Construction began in January 2009 following tests in November 2008 in the towing tank and wind tunnel of the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania. These tests were used to validate the computer analyses and simulations. Extensive research made it possible to determine the ideal dimensions and shapes with respect to the itinerary. This majestic-looking multihull is silent and clean. The objective is to sail at an average speed of 8 knots right around the world: pretty fast for a boat running on solar power alone. Raphaël Domjan, initiator of the project, will be the boat's skipper, alongside the famous French © 2009 www.planetsolar.org First round the world with solar energy jec composites magazine / No55 February - March 2010

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #55 - February/March 2010