A solar powered ship is currently in Manila to promote renewable energy. The ship is known as M/S Tûranor Planet Solar.
According to Inquirer, M/S Tûranor Planet Solar "is not only showcasing the potential of environmentally responsible mobility concepts, but also largely demonstrating the immense potential of solar energy, among other renewable energy sources, as a sustainable resource that can power the future".
This German-built vessel measures 31 by 15 meters and tips the scales at 85 tons. It has over 537 square meters of photovoltaic solar panels providing up to 127 horsepower – enough to keep the craft moving at a constant speed of 14 kilometers per hour.
One of the great thing about this ship is that it is exclusively powered by 38,000 high-efficiency solar cells which are all produced in the Philippines at the manufacturing facilities of SunPower Corp.
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), this ship has won two accolades – the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a solar-powered vessel and the longest distance covered by a solar-powered electric vehicle.
The ship which was designed based on the catamaran concept now targets to be the first solar-powered boat to circumnavigate the world. Traveling over 55,000 kilometers westward across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, It has set sail from Monaco in southern France on September 27, 2010 and has just arrived in Manila from Australia.
source: Inquirer
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