Around the World on Solar Power

On Friday, if all goes well, a sleek spaceship-like catamaran will glide into Hercule Harbor in Monaco after a remarkable 19-month journey around the globe.

Since it set sail from Monaco in September 2010, the Turanor PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat has crossed the Atlantic and the Pacific, passed through the Panama and Suez canals and stopped in Miami; Cancún, Mexico; Brisbane, Australia; Singapore; Abu Dhabi and many places in between.

At 2.15 p.m. local time, it is expected to cross the official finish line, having proved that solar energy can power a boat all the way around the world.

PlanetSolar is the brainchild of Raphaël Domjan, who is Swiss and a former ambulance driver and mountain guide. He enlisted enough sponsors to finance the creation of the surreal vessel. The goal, he said in a telephone interview this week from aboard the ship, was to spread the message that solar power can be harnessed for far more than it is doing now.

As I wrote not long after the PlanetSolar stopped in Hong Kong, where I am based, the boat was conceived as a test concept rather than something to be replicated for wide commercial use. Still, the voyage dovetails with some rethinking in the shipping industry about hull and engine designs that improve fuel efficiency. And some operators are moving toward having their ships travel more slowly so that they guzzle less fuel.

Once the arrival festivities are over, Mr. Domjan plans to take some time off at home in Switzerland.

But then it’s back to work. The plan is to have a book and a film documentary ready by Sept. 27, two years to the day after the PlanetSolar set off from Monaco on its world trip.

Note: the arrival ceremonies, which will include a light show powered by the energy stored in the craft’s batteries, will be viewable at the PlanetSolar Web site, which also has a wealth of detail about the ship and its journey.