MS ''Tûranor PlanetSolar'', known under the project name ''PlanetSolar'', founded by the Swiss explorer Raphaël Domjan, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world and launched on 31 March 2010. The vessel was designed and engineered by LOMOcean Marine. In May 2012, the vessel became the first solar electric vehicle ever to circumnavigate the globe taking 584 days between 2010 and 2012. The boat was renamed ''Race for Water'' in 2015, after the name of the foundation which then operated the vessel and was dedicated to water conservation missions and to protect the oceans from plastic pollution. In 2021, new owners Porrima projects renamed the ship ''Porrima''. In September 2022, Porrima ran aground in India and was heavily damaged.

Technical characteristics

The 31-metre boat is covered by 537 m² of solar panels rated at 93 kWp, which in turn connect to two electric motors, one in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls. The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to . The hull was model tested in

wind tunnel A wind tunnel is "an apparatus for producing a controlled stream of air for conducting aerodynamic experiments". The experiment is conducted in the test section of the wind tunnel and a complete tunnel configuration includes air ducting to and f ...

s and was tank tested to determine its

hydrodynamics In physics, physical chemistry and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids – liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including (the study of air and other gases in ...

and

aerodynamics Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

. The boat was designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt was finished. The vessel was later used as an Ambassador for the project Race for Water. The boat is registered in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

and was financed by a German entrepreneur, Immo Ströher and designed by New Zealand naval architect Craig Loomes. Construction cost was €15 million. The name ''Tûranor'', derived from J.R.R. Tolkien's novel ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an Epic (genre), epic high fantasy novel written by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's book ''The Hobbit'' but eventually d ...

'', translates to "The Power of the Sun".

Around the world

On 27 September 2010, ''Tûranor PlanetSolar'' set off from

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

to circumnavigate the globe solely with the aid of solar power. One aim of the project was to focus public awareness on the importance of renewable energies for environmental protection. The boat had a full-time crew of four including: * Raphaël Domjan of

, expedition leader * Christian Ochsenbein of Switzerland, electrical engineer * Jens Langwasser of

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, quartermaster * Patrick Marchesseau of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, skipper for the first half of the voyage from Monaco to

Nouméa Nouméa () is the capital and largest city of the French Sui generis collectivity, special collectivity of New Caledonia and is also the largest Francophone city in Oceania. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main i ...

and the high-risk leg from

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

to Port Sudan * Erwann Le Rouzic of France, skipper for the second half of the voyage from Nouméa to Monaco Additional crew members joined the voyage during select legs of the voyage including extra security in the

Gulf of Aden The Gulf of Aden (; ) is a deepwater gulf of the Indian Ocean between Yemen to the north, the Arabian Sea to the east, Djibouti to the west, and the Guardafui Channel, the Socotra Archipelago, Puntland in Somalia and Somaliland to the south. ...

. A significant stopover was Cancún,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, during the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference held there from 29 November to 10 December 2010. During the expedition, ''Tûranor PlanetSolar'' broke two records: the fastest crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by solar boat and the longest distance ever covered by a solar electric vehicle. ''Tûranor PlanetSolar'' returned to Monaco on 4 May 2012 after 584 days sailing around the globe.

2013 voyage and transatlantic record

After an engine refit, ''Tûranor PlanetSolar'' broke its own record, crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Las Palmas to Saint Martin in the Caribbean in only 22 days, four days faster than on the circumnavigation trip. The boat left Las Palmas on 25 April and arrived in Marigot on Saint Martin on 18 May. The trip led to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, Florida, and then continued as a scientific expedition along the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

. On the return trip the boat reached St John's, Newfoundland, on 1 August 2013 before heading back across the Atlantic.

Gallery

PlanetSolar-Construction-Kiel-20091106.jpg, Construction in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, Germany. Tûranor PlanetSolar (02).jpg, At the shipyard of

Concarneau Concarneau (, meaning "Bay of Cornouaille") is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in Northwestern France. Concarneau is bordered to the west by the Baie ...

. PlanetSolar IMG 6175.jpg, View of the bow, showing the three hulls. PlanetSolar Datenblatt.jpg, Original data sheet on the fuselage. PlanetSolar Gangway.jpg, View of the gangway. PlanetSolar a accosté Quai André Citroen à Paris.JPG, Louis Boisgibault (left), author of academic books on energy transition, meets crew. PlanetSolar Propeller.JPG, View of the surface piercing propeller. PlanetSolar Heckansicht.jpg, View of the stern of the ship. PlanetSolar-IMG 9576.JPG, Top view of extended solar panels. Porrima sailing to the West.jpg, The vessel at sea, renamed ''Porrima'' by new owners, 2022.

References

External links

* - Current owner.
Planet Solar Foundation
- Original owner. *
Virtual Tour of the ''PlanetSolar'' in Egypt
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turanor Planetsolar Solar-powered vehicles Electric boats Motor yachts Catamarans 2010 ships Circumnavigations Photovoltaics Solar power in Switzerland