Over the winter, docked at the Cité de la Voile Eric Tabarly, in Lorient, France, the MS Türanor PlanetSolar solar-powered catamaran has been retrofitting for its new expedition in 2014.
The MS Türanor PlanetSolar spent the 2013 season on two very important missions, but it might be hard to decide which was the more important of the two. First, of course, the MS Türanor PlanetSolar is extraordinary proof that solar power can find application in practically any field, as the catamaran is 100% solar powered. Part of the mission was public awareness, visiting the great cities of Rabat, Miami, New York, Boston, St. John’s, and Reykjavik.
A major part of the MS Türanor PlanetSolar’s mission, the PlanetSolar DeepWater Project, involved studying air and water quality, as well as phytoplankton and thermohaline circulation measurements in the Northern Atlantic Ocean. The expedition was hailed as a success, and plans were laid down for another solar-powered expedition for 2014.
The MS Türanor PlanetSolar will be relaunched April 14 at the 23rd Annual Festival of Sea Images at Boulogne-sur-Mer, on the French Northern Coast. Then, the catamaran will make its way to the Mediterranean Sea via the Straits of Gibraltar, and eventually Monaco. In mid-July, the world’s first solar-powered boat race, the Solar1 Monte Carlo Cup 2014, will be held. More details on the scientific side of the expedition are still forthcoming, but PlanetSolar’s work to increase awareness of renewable energy and clean mobility is sure to have a big impact.
Image © PlanetSolar
