PDA

View Full Version : Solar-Powered Catamaran Completes Record Setting Circumnavigation......



MMC
05-05-2012, 10:17 PM
http://static.grindtv.com/images/1/00/39/35/64/393564.jpg

Turanor PlanetSolar (http://www.planetsolar.org/), a futuristic-looking 100-foot catamaran, on Friday became the first vessel to have circumnavigated the planet exclusively on power generated by the sun. The voyage, which began and ended in Monaco (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monaco), lasted 19-plus months and included layovers in 28 countries, which were designed to promote the importance of solar energy.

http://static.grindtv.com/images/1/00/39/35/63/393563.jpg

Traveling on an equatorial route to take advantage of abundant sunshine, Turanor PlanetSolar covered more than 37,000 miles and set multiple Guinness World Records. The five-man crew enjoyed stops in such destinations as Tangier, Miami, Cancun, the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bombay, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

http://static.grindtv.com/images/1/00/39/35/66/393566.jpg

The name Turanor is from J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" and means "power of the sun." On warm nights the crew slept beneath stars atop the vessel's solar panels.

The boat, which was built in Germany for about $10 million, is 25 feet high and has a 50-foot beam (width), and wave-piercing pontoons. It's constructed largely of lightweight carbon fiber and powered by four electric motors that deliver silent, clean propulsion.....snip~

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/33490/solar-powered+catamaran+completes+record-setting+circumnavigation/

Wonder how this playing out with these Solar Companies going out of buisness. I didnt hear about the Car that traveled across the US. At least they were stopping off at places. Still it's not for me. That ocean isn't anything to mess around with.

Captain Obvious
05-05-2012, 11:37 PM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LZxelSc62Y

MMC
05-06-2012, 07:08 AM
Having a Catamaran with this set up.....I don't think they had to worry about losing power. Having a ship that is designed to Sail. Still one of those Rogue waves comes along and this ship is done dealing.

waltky
11-08-2012, 11:36 PM
Granny says if we moved there she could hula-hula inna grass skirt...
:shocked:
Tiny Island Chain Becomes World's First Solar-Powered Territory
November 07, 2012 - The Atafu atoll is one of three atolls that compromise the territory of Tokelau in the South Pacific.


The remote islands of Tokelau have become the first territory in the world to be powered by the sun, officials say. The move is expected to save money and ease the environmental burden of relying on imported fossil fuels. “The Tokelau Renewable Energy Project is a world first. Tokelau’s three main atolls now have enough solar capacity, on average, to meet electricity needs,” said New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister Murray McCully in a statement. “Until now, Tokelau has been 100 percent dependent upon diesel for electricity generation, with heavy economic and environmental costs.”

The group of islands situated in the South Pacific between New Zealand and Hawaii are administered by New Zealand, which estimated the cost of the project to build three solar grids at around $7 million. It is estimated that oil imports account for up to 30 percent of national income in some isolated parts of the Pacific, and the move to solar power could save Tokelau about $1 million per year.

Tokelau is comprised of three atolls Atafu, Nukunonu and Fakaofo, and has about 1,500 inhabitants. The island nations of Samoa and Tuvalu are aiming to get all of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020. The Cook Islands plans to start converting to solar panels and wind turbines, while most houses in the South Pacific archipelago will begin to use solar water heaters.

East Timor's government has promised that no households in the capital, Dili, would be using firewood for cooking by 2015 and said 50 percent of the country's electricity would be from renewable sources by the end of the decade. “Building on the success of clean and affordable energy solutions for Tokelau, Tonga, and the Cook Islands, New Zealand will co-host a Pacific energy summit in March next year,” said McCully.

http://www.voanews.com/content/tokelau_goes_solar/1541417.html