The designer of the solar catamaran is the New Zealander Craig Loomes, whose company LOMOcean Design (Auckland) produces designs for some of the most innovative boats anywhere in the world today. Loomes designed the TŪRANOR PlanetSolar according to the so-called "wave-piercing" concept, where the catamaran "slices" through the waves. This uses less energy than is required for conventional concepts, where the boat "rides" the waves.
lomocean.com/
The boat builder is located in the north of Germany on the Canal joining the North Sea and the Baltic. There, the solar catamaran took form under the expert hands of Knierim Yachtbau GmbH (Kiel), a company specialised in the construction of individual yachts utilising carbon sandwich technology; a sector in which it enjoys a reputation as the leading manufacturer.
knierim-yachtbau.de
When building solar-powered boats, the storage capacity (condensed into the smallest of spaces) is particularly important, so energy is available on overcast days. The energy stores utilised by the TŪRANOR PlanetSolar are large lithium-ion batteries made by GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke GmbH (Nordhausen/Thuringa), a specialist manufacturer that can guarantee the currently highest energy/output density relative to weight.
gaia-akku.com
Solar energy is collected on the catamaran by PV panels made by SOLON AG (Berlin). Through extensive manual work, an exceptionally large marine solar generator with a total area of approx. 500 square metres was created. The PV modules cover most of the surface of the catamaran; more have been added to the retracting outriggers that are on the starboard, portside and stern sections of the yacht.
solon.com
On Board TŪRANOR PlanetSolar, the energy yielded and stored is converted into highly effective forward propulsion. For this purpose, a specific drive technology has been developed by engineering company drivetek AG (Ipsach/Biel, Switzerland).
drivetek.ch
The drive of the solar catamaran relies on the propellers made by AIR Fertigung-Technologie GmbH & Co KG (Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). AIR, a member of the Voith Group, manufactures carbon fibre propeller systems that are characterised by their excellent efficiency.
voithturbo.com
The long-term performance of the TŪRANOR PlanetSolar is to be tested for the first time in a circumnavigation of the globe. The PlanetSolar SA (Yverdon-les-Bains, western Switzerland) has currently scheduled the first circumnavigation exclusively with solar power for 2011 - the journey is likely to take 160 days, during which new information regarding the mobile use of solar energy can be gathered.
planetsolar.org
The client-owner of the solar catamaran is Immo Ströher, a passionate advocate in the service of advancing solar technology. What Ströher already puts into daily practise in his energy management company IMMOSOLAR GmbH (Langen, Hessen) through the use of static renewables, he now plans to propel forward into the area of solar mobility. This way, knowledge gained from the stationary sector about efficient energy management can flow into the project.
immosolar.com
