Unique Solar Yacht Cruising Croatian Coast
- by croatiaweek
- in Latest
The largest solar-powered boat in the world has been sailing the Croatian coast this past week…
MS Turanor Planet, known under the project name PlanetSolar, sailed into the small bay of Banjole near Pula in southern Istria on Sunday, after being spotted further down the coast earlier in the week. The 12.5 million euro yacht was designed by LOMOcean Design and built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany. The 31-meter boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship’s two hulls and the boat can reach speeds of up to 14 knots.
Turanor Planet spent 584 days sailing around the globe to raise awareness on the importance of renewable energies for environmental protection from 2010 – 2012. The name Tûranor, derived from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel The Lord of the Rings, translates to “The Power of the Sun”.