Solar powered boat: A transatlantic expedition to study climate change

MS Turanor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered yacht ever constructed, will set sail this month on a transatlantic, scientific expedition to study climate change.
In only 22 days, the vessel broke its existing Guinness World Record for completing the fastest transatlantic crossing with a solar boat, solely operated without any fuel or C02 emissions.

The sun-powered 102-ft. catamaran will dock in 16 different cities along its journey and make its U.S. debut with a stopover in Miami at Sunset Harbour Yacht Club (SHYC), South Florida’s only five-star, certified green marina.

The expedition kicks off the vessel’s second global tour and the launch of the 2013 “PlanetSolar Deep Water” expedition, where distinguished scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) will collect data from air and water to study the key parameters of climate regulation, specifically atmospheric aerosols, phytoplankton and ocean eddies, whirlpools that carry large amounts of energy.

In addition, the vessel will conduct environmental clean-up missions by collecting floating plastic waste and host educational events in port cities to raise public awareness of climate issues.