The world’s largest and most advanced solar powered boat, M/S Tûranor Planet Solar, has just arrived inManila to bear a truly bright message – that the sun can power everything from pocket-sized calculators to cruise ships.
The multi-hulled catamaran aims to be the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the world, travelling over 55,000 kilometers westward across the Atlantic, Pacific andIndianOceans. It set sail from Monacoin southern Francelast 27 September 2010 and has just arrived inManilafromAustralia. The Philippine stop is a recognition of the country’s strong support for renewable energy.
The German-built vessel measures 31 by 15 meters and tips the scales at 85 tonnes. Over 537 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels provide up to 127 horsepower – enough to keep the craft moving at a constant 14 kilometers per hour. The ship is exclusively powered by 38,000 high-efficiency solar cells all produced in the Philippinesat the manufacturing facilities of SunPower Corporation. Already it has won two accolades – the fastest crossing of the Atlanticby a solar-powered vessel and the longest distance covered by a solar-powered electric vehicle.
Says World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-Philippines) Chairman Vincent Pérez, “The sun has always been our planet’s most important source of power – wind, rainfall and waves are all indirectly generated by the sun. Harnessing even a tiny portion of its immense power can provide us with limitless amounts of clean energy. The message of M/S Tûranor Planet Solar is clear – clean and dependable renewable energy technology is here.” Pérez served as the Philippine Energy Secretary from 2001 to 2005 and has since been active in promoting renewable energy.
WWF-Philippines encourages onlookers to see the docked M/S Tûranor Planet Solar, which will be berthed at the new Mall of Asia Ferry Terminal inPasayCity until the end of the week. SunPower Corporation, a partner of WWF and one of the world’s leading proponents of solar power, hosted a small morning gathering aboard the vessel to celebrate the merits of renewable energy.
The vessel’s name – Tûranor – was derived from famous author J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Roughly translated, it means ‘Powered by the sun’.
2 Comments
flow, would you know how to contact the people who are in charge of scheduling visits to the ship?
great idea, hoping that someday we will start using natural energy for our technology