Built as a catamaran the PlanetSolar can hold up to 40 passengers when it makes its different stops along world tour. The word Turanor means “power of the sun” and comes from the Lord of the Rings Saga of J.R.R. Tolkien.

The goal of the crew of PlanetSolar is to be the first ship to circumnavigate the world exclusively using the power of the sun and an electric engine. Magellan would be proud of this new type of leading edge, yet here today technology.

Another aspect of this tour is to call public awareness to the ability for us to be carbon neutral now and the fact that solar technology is in fact a here and now technology. We don’t have to wait for future technology in order to go green. The future is already here.

The MIT students have created the Elanor solar car, ironically named after the gas guzzling Ford Mustang in the movie “Gone in 60 Seconds.” The 500 pound Elanor is aerodynamically designed as are most solar cars of this nature and is using new technology created by the MIT team.

Across the Pond, as they say, students at Cambridge University have developed their own Bethany solar car. Both Bethany and Elanor use about the same amount of energy that it takes to operate a blow dryer.

The Bethany solar car can cruise at around 60 mph top speed, is made of light weight materials and has a 6-meter square solar skin. The Cambridge team has developed improved battery management and control systems for the vehicle.

Bethany uses an upgraded lithium polymer battery and an electric motor that boasts 85-percent efficiency. While not powerful enough to compete head on with electric cars, both Elanor and Bethany may provide technology to be used in some upcoming models of electric vehicles.

Tindo, which is the aboriginal word for sun, is using the same photovoltaic technology as the Solartaxi that is currently touring around the world. Tindo is capable of hauling 42 passengers at one time with 25 standard seats plus two spaces for disabled seating. The range of Tindo is approximately 120 miles before needing an 8-hour recharge time.

The vehicle management system (VMS) is another crucial component of Tindo. The VMS monitors all onboard equipment and controls the bus’s main drive system and auxiliary battery charging and management. Tindo even uses regenerative braking to recharge the batteries when it is slowing down.

Since the Tindo operates on 100-percent solar-electric power alone its operation is very quiet. So, get on the bus, Gus, don’t need to discuss much, just plug into the Sun, Son and set yourself free (and, my deepest apologies to Paul Simon).

The goal is to become the first manned solar plane to make a trip around-the-world (albeit not in 80 days) and will fly 24 hours day and night. In 2009, the Solar Impulse (HB-SIA) airplane with its 61-meter wingspan that is currently in development could make a 36-hour flight without any fuel.

The next generation of solar plane will have an 80-meter wingspan, a pressurized cabin and be capable of long-haul missions. In 2011, the Solar Impulse is scheduled to make its around the world flight using 5 stopovers in different locations. Five pilots will fly 3 to 4 days each on the different legs of the trip, the maximum endurance limit for each pilot.

The solar plane will be equipped with 12,000 photovoltaic cells on the wings and lithium-ion battery pack to store the extra energy and fly at night. The four electric motors will combine for a maximum power rating of 30 kw and an average speed of 40 mph.

Of course, the Solar Impulse isn’t the only solar plane in town. The QinetiQ Zephyr unmanned solar plane can fly for a couple of days with its photovoltaic wings and rechargeable batteries. In fact, it set a world record in September 2007, for flying 54 hours straight at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

But, there is something about manned flight in a solar airplane that is an especially lofty goal. Of course, not everyone will be able to fly in a solar plane or wait until after 2011 to get into the solar game. In order to do something now, you can get a flexible solar panel for recharging mobile devices, marine or RV batteries. This may not be as lofty as a solar plane, but it’s a good place to start.

The students have been working on the Dusc solar car since 2004 when it was built and is now undergoing significant upgrades in order to improve its performance. The DUSC2008 solar car is capable of traveling at 45 mph and will be put to the test this summer as the only representative of the UK in this race.

Like the other solar cars in the race, the Dusc carries one person only and is powered by a series of photovoltaic cells assembled across the top of the vehicle. The Dusc solar car is currently on display at the Science Museum in London. If all goes well in North America, the Dusc will also compete at the World Solar Challenge in Australia.

The two-seater (with perhaps a third being added) has been likened to a golf cart in appearance, but it is also a zero emission vehicle getting all of its energy from the rooftop solar panel. The Taiwanese solar car was developed by the National Kaohsiung University of Applied Sciences and is only about 10-feel long making it a breeze to park.

Taiwan’s first commercial solar car will take several hours to recharge and then can run for three hours straight and 132 miles before needing another charge. The retail price will be just short of $25,000 so you may start to see this vehicle appearing in upscale golf courses and gated communities sometime this year.

Palmer so far has traveled from Lucerne, Switzerland 8,950 miles to Bali in Indonesia. Louis Palmer is about one-third finished with his trip that will be over 25,000 miles long by the time it is over, a bit longer than a trip around the Earth’s equator.

The solar taxi pulls a trailer with photovoltaic cells attached for direct power from the sun. The vehicle has a top speed of 55 mph and if the solar taxi travels over 60 miles in one day the vehicle’s battery kicks in. The battery also stores energy from the solar panels to use as needed.

Palmer says he’s willing to pick up passengers along the way and so far has traveled to 17 nations picking up everyone from drunks to princes. Along for the ride is also Thomas Gottschalk a German engineer heavily involved in this project.

By the time the solar taxi travels the Earth it will have been to 50 different countries upon five continents including the United States.