August 31, 2013 at 11:55 pm
Before going to Shoreham this morning I took a quick trip to London to catch some photos of Tûranor PlanetSolar, the worlds largest solar powered boat, she is an amazing piece of engineering and a true world beater.
Hope you like the photos.

Tûranor PlanetSolar Under Tower Bridge London by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr

Tûranor PlanetSolar by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr

Tûranor PlanetSolar by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr

Tûranor PlanetSolar by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr
Tûranor PlanetSolar by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr

Tûranor PlanetSolar in London by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr
Tûranor PlanetSolar by Martin D Stitchener, on Flickr
By: Lincoln 7 - 5th September 2013 at 12:40
I agree re the weight problem Martin. I was watching Top Gear several weeks ago, and they had a battery driven car, something the size of the Yaris, however it cost over £30.000 and they stated that the Manufacturer couldn’t guarantee the life of the batteries for more than 5 yrs, cost of new batteries for said car?, a stonking £10.000. And it took 13 hrs to re-charge the batteries, when flat.But no doubt the way technology is expanding, perchance in the future, a battery the size of a watch battery will do the job.
One to keep an eye on.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: duxfordhawk - 5th September 2013 at 09:58
I agree with you there Jim and I also wonder if this technology could work on a larger scale. I get the feeling it would be the batteries and the weight involved with them that holds back this technology.
By: Lincoln 7 - 3rd September 2013 at 22:05
Thanks for the Link Martin. It would be interesting to know how far she could go on her batteries alone.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: Lincoln 7 - 3rd September 2013 at 21:58
L.O.L. Gary, You nearly burst my stitches in Hossie when you came, nice answer.:D
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: trumper - 3rd September 2013 at 21:30
I wonder what “Plan B” would be if when out at Sea on a nice sunny day, the weather turned nasty, and a storm brewed up, has she a diesel engine as a backup?, or storage batteries.
Or is it a case of “No Sun,” no go.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
They have a very very very long extension lead 🙂
By: duxfordhawk - 3rd September 2013 at 20:17
From what I have read she has lithium ion batteries and is pretty capable to use its own power. I can’t find the original link I had read but here is the Wiki one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%BBranor_PlanetSolar
By: Lincoln 7 - 3rd September 2013 at 17:27
I wonder what “Plan B” would be if when out at Sea on a nice sunny day, the weather turned nasty, and a storm brewed up, has she a diesel engine as a backup?, or storage batteries.
Or is it a case of “No Sun,” no go.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: Paul F - 3rd September 2013 at 15:29
Nice photos Martin – a real “Gerry Anderson” look about her…..
Must be a bu99er keeping the seagull sh1te off all those photo-voltaic panels though – or does she just run a little slower every time they score a direct hit….. :highly_amused:
By: duxfordhawk - 1st September 2013 at 21:41
Thanks for the kind comments, she is amazing and perfectly silent when running.
By: TonyT - 1st September 2013 at 16:46
By: Lincoln 7 - 1st September 2013 at 16:25
Great photos, thanks. Makes one wonder what will be next, fantastic piece of engineering and design, very futuristic.
Jim.
Lincoln .7
By: charliehunt - 1st September 2013 at 07:12
A stunning craft – thanks for posting those.
By: trumper - 1st September 2013 at 01:00
WOW ,almost sci fi and alien looking.Thanks for posting.