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2:56 AM Wed 15 Apr 2009 GMT
 | | 'The multihull vessel is under construction by Knierim Yacht Club, in Kiel, Germany.'
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In 2010, a pair of Europeans will start a voyage around the world in a solar-powered boat, aiming to complete their quest in 120 days, and if they're successful, they'll be the first to pull it off.
Raphael Domjan, a skipper and founder of PlanetSolar, which is behind the effort, will board the ship with the legendary G?rard d'Aboville, the adventurous Frenchman who paddled the Atlantic alone a few decades back.
The PlanetSolar crew has a united goal: to be the first to circumnavigate the globe in a solar boat, i.e. one powered by a silent, pollution-free electrical engine, driven exclusively by solar energy.
This unprecedented endeavour, aimed notably at promoting hybrid vehicle technology, should help to bring about a change in mindsets. If it succeeds, it will spawn technological developments in many fields, such as the manufacture of composite materials and structures or the generation and storage of photovoltaic energy (or electricity).
Preserving our planet by promoting solar energy, energy efficiency and sustainable mobility is what the project is all about. "This represents a tremendous opportunity to inform the general public and heighten their awareness of the importance of renewable energies," they state.
PlanetSolar is a multihull vessel topped by a large array of photovoltaic solar panels, constructed by Knierim Yacht Club, in Kiel, Germany. Currently at the design stage, it will be a boat of impressive proportions, and yet it will be both silent and clean. The goal is to navigate around the world at an average speed of 10 knots, no mean feat for a solar-powered craft.
The multihull will be home to two sailors during the round-the-world attempt, and can accommodate up to fifty people during the promotional trips planned at each port of call.
The ideal shape and size of the boat for the chosen route will be determined by in-depth research. The PlanetSolar engineers have to factor in a host of parameters - propulsion, solar panel design, energy storage, materials, and the external environment. A whole range of studies will need to be conducted in areas such as the boat's hydro and aerodynamics, the materials used, the management and storage of energy and, finally, the power plant and the optimal routing.
The boat will leave in 2010, traveling the world in 120 days. The team behind the concept is promising to be totally transparent about the technology and the data they collect. They plan to radio all scientific details about how well the ship is cruising, how much energy it's using, and what kind of weather conditions they float up against, available to anyone who is interested.
The route, with stopovers, will take the boat along the equator where the maximum amount of sunlight is available. The over 40,000-km voyage aims for an average speed of 10 knots. PlanetSolar's two-man crew will cross the Atlantic Ocean, the Panama Canal, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and finally the Suez Canal, to return to the Mediterranean. After a roadshow with the village that will cross Switzerland in 2009, the boat will stop in cities like Monaco, Paris, Marseille, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hambourg, New-York and San Francisco.
The stopovers will be organised in large port cities; they will give the project a high profile, and will be used as a promotional platform for renewable energies, especially solar.
According to the team's website, Rapha?l Domjan, PlanetSolar's founder is a man of conviction. "At the age of 37, Rapha?l Domjan conceived the PlanetSolar concept, and he has done everything possible since to turn his dream into reality. Someone who genuinely 'dabbles in everything', Rapha?l Domjan wears several hats and increases activities he takes part in that are closely connected to man and nature: an ambulance driver, high mountain guide, rescue specialist in perilous environments etc. Passion is what drives him on!'
More at www.planetsolar.org/index.en.php
by Jeni Bone
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