Thanks to photovoltaic power, the world’s largest solar boat has crossed from 8 to 16 April the 1,600 kilometres separating La Ciotat (France) from Rabat (Morocco), the first port of call for the 2013 PlanetSolar campaign. Thanks to support from the Bouregreg Marina and the Swiss Embassy in Morocco, events dedicated to local authorities and children will be held aboard the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar. Then, the boat will be prepared to repeat its transatlantic crossing during which it will attempt to break its own speed record and then to begin the scientific expedition along the Gulf Stream. With a new crew led by Captain Gérard d’Aboville aboard, the catamaran will cross the Atlantic and sail back up towards the Far North along the American coasts, to carry out a campaign of unique scientific measurements along the Gulf Stream conducted by the University of Geneva (UNIGE).
The success of the first trip around the world in 2010 powered exclusively by solar energy was a remarkable experiment that demonstrated the maturity of photovoltaic technology onboard the catamaran. For her 2013 campaign, the ship will take part in unprecedented missions that are intended to broaden and diversify her practical applications. A scientific expedition along the Gulf Stream ,(“PlanetSolar DeepWater”) a, campaign to collect floating plastic waste, and even educational events are awaiting the world’s largest solar boat.
The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, built in Kiel, Germany, is a catamaran that runs exclusively on solar energy. After two years of design and construction, PlanetSolar is responsible for many technological advances, notably in the domain of composite material manufacturing and solar energy storage. On May 4, 2012, after sailing for 584 days and travelling over 60,000 km, PlanetSolar completed the first solar-powered trip around the world. In order to fund the 2013 campaign, PlanetSolar SA is supported by the University of Geneva, Ciel électricité, Switcher, the Swiss AOC-IGP Association, Younicos, GoPro, Météo France, Jean-René Germanier SA, BCCC Avocats, Tempur, Hempel, Présence Suisse, Energissima, l’UIM, YELLO, and Waste Free Oceans.
From May to August 2013, the team led by Professor Martin Beniston, climatologist and director of the Institute of Environmental Sciences at UNIGE, will sail along the Gulf Stream’s ocean current, one of the most important regulators of European and North American climates, thus traveling over 8,000 kilometers from Miami (United States) to Bergen (Norway) by way of New York , Boston and Reykjavik (Iceland). “A continuous series of physical and biological measurements will be taken in the water and air to study the key parameters of climate regulation, specifically atmospheric aerosols and phytoplankton”, explains Professor Beniston. The researchers will primarily be interested in ocean eddies, whirlpools that carry large amounts of energy, and in areas of deep water formation, strategic locations where surface waters dive down to the seafloor, fueling the “ocean conveyor belt”, a three-dimensional current system that allows all ocean basins to interconnect. One of the instruments installed onboard is currently the only device capable of making a thorough analysis of aerosols using laser technology. The scientists’ objective is to understand the complex interactions between physics, biology, and climate, which will eventually allow them to refine the climate simulation, especially those related to energy exchanges between the ocean and the atmosphere. Furthermore, the project will raise public awareness of climate issues through the development of educational activities and resources.
“This illustration of the solar catamaran’s practical applications and potential uses aims to generate profit-making opportunities for the ship. With the demonstration of the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar’s commercial viability, the company’s ultimate goal is to encourage the development of the solar shipbuilding industry,” says Luka Müller Studer, representative of the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar’s owner.
