dioxide . '' -LSB- I -RSB- want to show that we can change , that solutions exist and that it 's not too late , '' Domjan writes on his Web site . `` Using technology and our knowledge to better promote renewable energies is the way towards a lasting world . '' Planet Solar will be covered in 470 square meters of solar panels -- the equivalent of two tennis courts . This means it will have particularly high energy absorption . See more images of the solar-powered boat '' Twenty-three percent of absorbed sunlight will be converted into energy that the boat can run on , compared with 17 percent for average panels , according to Planet Solar 's project manager , Danny Faigaux of Grand Chelem Management . `` The first man sailed around the world 500 years ago and Raphael thought it was about time we did it in a different way , '' Faigaux told CNN . But relying purely on solar energy may prove difficult in areas of the world where bad weather prevents sunlight from penetrating the clouds . Batteries on Planet Solar will be able to store enough energy gathered from the
LONDON , England -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The world 's largest , fastest fully solar-powered boat is being built in preparation for a round-the-world challenge . ' Planet Solar ' would be the world 's fastest fully solar-powered boat and is projected to cross the Atlantic in two weeks . The futuristic-looking `` Planet Solar , '' which is 100 percent powered by sunlight , is the brainchild of Swiss engineer Raphael Domjan , a former paramedic with a passion for innovative design and renewable energies . The 30-meter vessel is currently being built in Kiel , Germany , and will be finished early next year . If all goes according to plan , the boat will begin sailing summer 2010 -- first in European waters and then around the world . The boat can travel at up to 14 knots -LRB- 26k/m -RRB- and would be the first solar-powered boat to travel at such high speeds . It is projected to be able to cross the Atlantic in just two weeks . Domjan hopes his ambitious , $ 11.5 million -LRB- $ 8 million -RRB- project will prove that boats can travel at high speeds without emitting any carbon