In September 2010, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, the MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, set sail from Monaco with the goal to travel around the world using only solar energy. Most recently, the catamaran visited Manila, Philippines; the first stopover in Asia and the fifth continent visited on the world tour to date.
After a non-stop journey from Australia to the Philippines, PlanetSolar arrived in Manila at 10 am on July 21st in the Philippines Navy headquarters. Powered by 38,000 SunPower high-efficiency Maxeon solar cells, the boat generated more than enough energy to put the PlanetSolar one week ahead of its schedule. A pleasant surprise for those in Manila!
The PlanetSolar’s stopover in Manila was indeed a meaningful one. Local SunPower employees arranged for a full day of activities for the PlanetSolar crew – including a tour of our fabrication facilities where the solar cells were made for the PlanetSolar boat. In addition, we were honored to have the Vice President of the Philippines, Jejomar Binay and the Director General if the Philippines Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), Lilia de Lima join our team to attend the event that commemorated the boat’s arrival in Manila. Finally, our employees had the opportunity to take a tour of the boat and see their work in action. This was definitely a moment in which our employees took pride in our work at SunPower.
The PlanetSolar boat departed from Manila on August 2nd, and is headed to its next destination, Hong Kong. Following Hong Kong, the boat will stop in Singapore, the Maldives, Mumbai and Abu Dhabi before returning to Monaco. It is scheduled to complete the expedition by late April or early May 2012. You can visit PlanetSolar to learn more about the project.
We have compiled our favorite photos from the PlanetSolar’s visit in Manila. Enjoy the photos and let us know what you think about PlanetSolar’s journey below!
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