Dual solar sailing projects eye circumnavigation
Nov 1, 2009 — Sailing under wind power has always been green, but two solar boat projects bring the concept to a new level. Both boats are catamarans and plan to circle the globe powered solely by the sun.
Currently under construction in Kiel, Germany, is a double-hulled boat being built by PlanetSolar, complete with 38,000 monocrystalline polysilicon solar cells that will cover more than 470 sq m on the deck. The cells, from SunPower Corp. of San Jose, Calif., will have an efficiency of 22 percent. The...