KIEL — Considering its 85 tonnes and its potential to shape the future of maritime travel, the launch of Türanor was a surprisingly reserved affair. The world’s largest solar-powered boat made a gentle plop as it was lowered by a huge crane on to the waters of the Kiel firth in northern Germany today, and triggered the polite applause of onlookers – mainly fishermen and shipyard workers. ‘We’ve made it, she’s safe, and she floats,’ whispered its owner, Immo Ströher, with tears welling in his eyes. But the real challenges for the gleaming white catamaran still lie ahead, as its makers seek to use it to prove that the sun can fuel our world. Next year, after an intense testing phase, Türanor – the name, inspired by JRR Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, means ‘power of the sun’ – will embark on her maiden voyage, a round-the-world trip during which her two-man crew will attempt to chase the sun in order to capture as much available solar power as possible and navigate her at an average speed of 7.5 knots. Ströher’s granddaughter christened her today by smashing a bottle of champagne against her teak deck, and pronouncing: […]