PlanetSolar, the world's largest solar boat, was unveiled
last week. It is a 31m long and 15m wide white catamaran
and has been designed to reach a top speed of around 15
knots. The boat can hold up to 50 passengers. It is powered
entirely by up to 500 square metres of photovoltaic solar panels.
The boat’s 38,000 photovoltaic cells have been provided
by SunPower. Their new cells have an efficiency of at least 22%. PlanetSolar has been designed for a global circumnavigation planned for 2011. The 60 ton catamaran has been built at the cost of 18 million euro (about $24.4 million) at the Knierim Yacht Club in Kiel in northern Germany.
