The futuristic-looking PlanetSolar stole the show when she took part in the Hafengeburtstag Hamburg expo, which ran from 7th to 9th May. Less dramatic but still noteworthy was the announcement by Imtech N.V, a prestigious European engineering and ICT company, that it was acting as technology partner for the PlanetSolar project – further proof that the brightest minds and best talents are behind this historic 21st-century adventure.
PlanetSolar was constructed at the Knierim Shipyard in Kiel, Germany and first unveiled in February 2010. It is a high-tech 85-tonne, 31-metre long and 15-metre wide catamaran, which is covered by 537 m2 of solar panels. It is powered by two 10 kW electric motors. On board it has the world’s largest lithium-ion battery, with a power storage capacity of 2910 Ah and a weight of 11 tonnes. In total, PlanetSolar can travel 1,000 km without sunlight. It has a top speed of 14 knots (25 km/h) and can house around 40 guests. It produces zero environmental pollution and the ship moves noiselessly.
The PlanetSolar project is an initiative of Swiss national Raphaël Domjan, president and skipper of the ship. Jean Verne, the great-grandson of writer Jules Verne is one of the project’s “godfathers.” As technology partner, Imtech is responsible for the project management, engineering, implementation and commissioning of the high-tech energy distribution system, the technology that provides for charging the lithium-ion battery, the alarm & monitoring system and the cable system. Says René van der Bruggen, CEO of Imtech: “Society is becoming increasingly sustainable and technology is playing a leading role in this process. The trend towards ‘green’ technical infrastructure, which started in the energy, buildings, and data centres markets, is now also obvious present in the maritime market.”
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PlanetSolar is being prepared for an around-the-world tour due to commence in 2011. The 50,000-kilometre journey is expected to take 140 days at an average speed of 8 knots (15 km/h), the PlanetSolar running exclusively on solar power. The planned route is via the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal, across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and home via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. “Energy Consciousness Stops” will be made, amongst other ports, in New York, San Francisco, Darwin, Hong Kong, Singapore, Abu Dhabi and Marseilles. (contributed article)
