hotispot: 12/12/10

Sunday, 12 December 2010

World’s Largest Solar-Powered Boat

The TURANOR PlanetSolar, the world’s largest solar-powered boat, has just completed the first stage of its journey around the world – a trans-Atlantic journey from Monaco to Miami. The Swiss-designed solar-powered catamaran left Monaco on the 27th of September and docked in Miami just a few days ago, on the 28th of November.

At 101.7ft (31 meters) long and 49.2ft (15 meters) wide, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar is the world’s largest solar-powered boat. The vessel is completely fuelled by renewable energy, with its solar cells having a 22% efficiency rate. These are the highest rated cells available for purchase on the market, and the cells cover over 500 square meters of the ship. The solar cells are able to power two electric motors which are found in the hull, giving the ship at a top speed of 14 knots. Most notably, the large surface area of solar cells means that the catamaran can travel for up to three full days, even without direct sunlight – any excess energy is stored in a state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery.

After this layover in Miami, the TÛRANOR PlanetSolar will head to Cancún, Mexico for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where it will participate in activities organized by the Swiss government. The vessel is then expected to fully circumnavigate the world in the coming months, visiting San Francisco, Sydney, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, before returning home to Monaco.

The multi-national crew of the ship include Frenchman Patrick Marchesseau (Captain), Christian Ochsenbein (Bern, Switzerland), Michaela von Koskull (Finland), Jens Langwasser (Kiel, Germany) and project initiator Raphael Domjan (Yverdon-les Bain, Switzerland).

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The Most Expensive Book in the World

A rare copy of "the most expensive book in the world" Fah Franco-American ornithologist John James Audubon and goes back to the nineteenth century recorded on Tuesday evening in London, a new record price, Which sold more than eight million euros, on the auction house said, "Sotheby's".

The sale of the book "Birds of America" (Birds of America) in exchange for 7.3 million pounds (8,6 million euros), a new world record price for the printed work is sold at auction, it said, "Sotheby's".
The estimated book value of between four and six million pounds.The new owner is a dealer old books.

And return to the previous record price another version of "Birds of America" were sold in New York in 2000 to meet with seven million euros. There is no longer only about a hundred copies of the book "Birds of America." Large book size (length of 90 cm and of 60 cm) collected fees birds such as flamingos and Swan.

Jean-Jacques Audubon, known by his English John James Audubon, is the world of birds and the world of physics was born in Haiti the year 1785, the French colonial days of French and religion. And then received U.S. citizenship.