FACTSHEET MS TÛRANOR PLANETSOLAR DID YOU KNOW ? - The MS Tûranor was designed following the concept of « wave-piercing » to pierce the waves. - The ship was built in 14 months by a shipyard in Kiel, Germany. - By stretching wings, the boat can get an addi- tional solar surface for navigation and can reduce the size of the boat when mooring or increase the hydrodynamics in the event of bad weather. - The rear wing may move depending on the position of the sun to maximize the angle of interception of sunlight. - The energy system of the solar panels is opti- mized by MPPT (maximum power point tracker) to collect a maximum energy from the solar cells and to get the best performance from the facility which is specially adapted to the marine environment. - The solar cells are protected by an innovative encapsulation system ; a layer of glass placed on the panels (for greater resistance as well as for maximum transparency) and a layer of lighter composite materials below. - Each of the six blocks of lighium-ion-batteries weighs just under two tons, conventional lead- acid batteries of the same campacity would have weighed seven times more and would have had a significant lower life duration. - The structure of the boat is mainly composed of carbon resin to reduce weight. - The MS Tûranor PlanetSolar is led by two engines with carbon fiber propellers. The diameter of these propellers is nearly double than what is usually used for a boat of this size. - The cockpit has two seats for the pilots and a space for communication and rest on the back. - On the boat showers, lights, fridges etc. are of course powered by solar energy. Only the kitchen operates with gas.