MS Tûranor PlanetSolar, known under the project name PlanetSolar, is the largest solar-powered boat in the world The vessel was designed by LOMOcean Design, built by Knierim Yachtbau in Kiel, Germany, and launched on 31 March 2010. In May 2012, it became the first ever solar electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe. The 31-meter boat is covered in over 500 square meters of solar panels rated 93 kW, which in turn connect to one of the two electric motors in each hull. There are 8.5 tons of lithium-ion batteries in the ship's two hulls. The boat's shape allows it to reach speeds of up to 14 knots. The hull was model tested in wind tunnels and was tank tested to determine its hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The boat has been designed to be used as a luxury yacht after the record attempt is finished.

"I am completely inspired by the natural world. Beauty is everywhere. It is the growth of the forest, the depth of the sea, and the curve of the bone. It is skin, scales, bark, and tide pool ripples. It is texture, and it is raw. I am a translator of life, and I am compelled to narrate it."

An aerial view of the lava erupting during volcanic eruption in September, in Bardarbunga, Iceland. Lava spews out from craters as molten rock flows into a river down the Bardarbunga volcano in Iceland. The dramatic pictures of the Holuhraun eruption were taken from an altitude of 50-500m on September 5-9 by Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson at twilight and with the stunning Aurora Borealis in the background. (Photo by Örvar Atli Þorgeirsson/Barcroft Media)

A mechanic examines a Gogoro Smartscooter which is connected to a tablet, in its shop in Taipei, Taiwan, July 6, 2015. Companies such as electric motor scooter firm Gogoro could hold the key to Taiwan's economic growth. In just three years, the start-up raised $150 million to develop the smartphone-synched bike, and a charging network for it. Gogoro's success in creating a home-grown, innovative product is precisely what Taiwan's government wants to foster as it seeks to reduce the export-driven economy's reliance on the island's world-class tech manufacturing sector. (Photo by Pichi Chuang/Reuters)

Participants are running in the “2024 Chosun Ilbo Chuncheon Marathon” held in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do on October 27, 2024. One participant is smiling brightly while raising his thumb. (Photo by Jang Yeon-seong)

Image of the Clouds taken in August 2014 by astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS). A year from space photographs of hurricanes, typhoons and meteorite craters show an astronauts-eye view of our planet from hundreds of miles above the earth. The illuminating images were taken by astronauts onboard the International Space Station (ISS) over the course of 2014. (Photo by NASA/SPL/Barcroft Media)

In this March 18, 2015 photo, Andrea, better known as Loira, which is the Portuguese word for “blonde”, poses for a portrait in an open-air crack cocaine market, known as a “cracolandia” or crackland where users can buy crack, and smoke it in plain sight, day or night, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Andrea says she is married and has a home, but she keeps returning to crackland to feed her addiction. (Photo by Felipe Dana/AP Photo)

Model Kendall Jenner is seen in SoHo on July 31, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Splash News and Pictures)