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German boat building team Knierim Yachtbau has built the largest solar powered boat in existence. Called “PlanetSolar” this boat is skippered and managed by Raphael Domjan and Gerard d’Aboville. The boat debuted last month and the planned official launch is in April of this year. The boat cost $24 Million to build.

The boat is a Catamaran that measures 100 ft x 50 ft., can get the speed up to 15 knots and holds up to 50 passengers. It’s multihulled and is topped with 500m of photovoltaic solar panels

PlanetSolar has an interesting futuristic shape and was 13 months in the boatyard being constructed and designed. The boat building team wants PlanetSolar to further solar power technology using unique design and technological advances no watercraft has seen to date.

Immo Ströher, owner of the multi-hull boat, wanted above all to emphasise the technological significance of the event: “Each step in the PlanetSolar project is a step further in the technological development of renewable energy sources. Thanks to ambitious projects like this scientific research is making progress.”

PlanetSolar will be on a world tour which is planned to launch in 2011.

Main site and info including signing up for their newsletter can be found here at PlanetSolar.org.

Here’s a nice slideshow of the unveiling in Feb. ‘10 at PlanetSolar.

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