The world’s largest solar powered vessel Turanor Planetsolar has arrived in Australia waters. With stops planned at Cairnes and Brisbane.
She will call in at the Brisbane superyacht base; Rivergate Marina and Shipyard as part of her expedition to become the first fully solar-powered vessel to circumnavigate the world.
This energy efficient vessel will be utilising Customs and Quarantine facilities at the marina the only official port cruising yachts can use in Brisbane.
“We service some of the most exclusive superyachts in the world, but this state of the art vessel will be interesting to say the least,” says Andrew Cannon, Manager, Rivergate Marina and Shipyard.
When viewed from above, the yacht appears to have a shark-like shape and relies on the power of the sun and its batteries to achieve its around-the-world journey.
The aim of the expedition is to demonstrate that, through the use of existing materials and technology, high-performance solar mobility can be realised.
“Turanor” actually translates as “the power of the sun” and “victory”.
Turanor Planetsolar which has been compared to the Starship Enterprise from the Star Trek Trilogy saga; is 31 metres long, 15 metres wide and stands an impressive 6.1 metres high. The yacht has a solar surface of over 537 square metres with 38,000 solar cells.
The 60-tonne vessel is able to reach speeds of up to 25kmh. Due to an array of lithium ion batteries, and can sail for up to five nights without direct sunlight.
This solar powered yacht has already broken two records since embarking from Monaco on September 27 last year – the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and the longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle.
The boat was designed and built by the Knierim shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
