The world's largest solar boat, costing $16.7 million to build, has made an Aussie stopover. The Turanor Planet Solar mega-yacht docked at the Riverside Centre Pontoon in Brisbane yesterday as part of its quest to become the first fully solar-powered vessel to circumnavigate around the world. The yacht, which has been compared to Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise and appears to have a shark-like shape when viewed from above, relies on the power of the sun – and its batteries – to achieve its around-the-world voyage.
At 31 metres long and 15 metres wide, the yacht has a solar surface area of over 537 square metres with 38,000 solar cells.
The 60-tonne vessel will be able to reach speeds of up to 25 kmh. Due to an array of lithium ion batteries, Turanor can sail for up to five nights without direct sunlight.
It 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 by a team of international engineers and built by the Knierim shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
It will return to Europe after its Brisbane stopover.
This gargantuan solar-powered boat is just so amazing! At 101 feet long, with 50 feet of beam, this yacht is so huge enough to be called a mega-yacht, making it the world's first eco-mega-power-yacht. solar Brisbane
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