LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- 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 ( 26k/m ) 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 ( €8 million ) project will prove that boats can travel at high speeds without emitting any carbon dioxide . `` [ I ] 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 sun to allow the boat to sail in poor conditions for three days , said Faigaux . If cloudy weather persists for more than three days , the vessel will run into real difficulties . To avoid this eventuality , the team has partnered with the French meteorological institute , `` Meteo France . '' The institute will update Planet Solar 's skippers on which routes to avoid . Famous French sailor Gerard D'Abouville will skipper the boat alongside Domjan . D'Abouville is the first man to have rowed across both the Atlantic and the Pacific and has long been involved with sustainable development . In April 2011 after a short tour of Europe , Planet Solar will embark on a round-the-world tour , stopping in dozens of cities along the way . Wherever the boat goes , Domjan hopes to teach people about alternative ways of consuming energy . At each port-of-call he plans to set up a portable `` educational village '' made from inflatable material . Up to 500 people at any one time will be will be able to visit the village 's three inflatable `` spheres '' to learn more about Planet Solar , ecology and economy . `` This situation is also an opportunity , '' said Domjan . `` The dilution of our resources and fossil fuels and climate change forces us to rethink our societies . ''
World 's largest , fastest fully solar-powered boat is attempting round-the-world tour . `` Planet Solar '' has 470 square meters of panels -- equivalent to two tennis courts . Vessel can travel at up to 26 k/h and is projected to cross Atlantic in two weeks .