The world's largest solar boat, MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, arrived in New York on Monday during the early phase of a scientific expedition to study the Gulf Stream in the Atlantic Ocean, a key regulator of climate.
The boat is special because it runs only on the sun's energy — more than 29,000 solar cells cover the ship's deck which powers 8.5 tons of lithium ion batteries housed beneath the boat. The batteries can last for more than 10 years.
An onboard research team, led by professor and climatologist Professor Beniston from the University of Geneva, is using the boat to collect data from the ocean and air that is uncontaminated by exhaust.
We toured the large solar craft before she leaves Manhattan for Boston in a few days, heading next to Canada, Iceland, and finally ending in Bergen, Norway, in August.
The largest solar boat ever built arrived in New York on June 17, marking the first stop on a campaign to study the Gulf Stream, an ocean current that transports heat from the tropics to the Arctic across the Atlantic Ocean.
The boat is powered only by solar energy, which means scientists do not have to worry about their results being distorted by pollutants from the boat's engine.
Piloting a solar-powered boat comes with some challenges. Close attention must be paid to the sun, as opposed to the sea or the wind.
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