At the dawn of every pioneering adventure there is a dream. The Swiss Louis Palmer had such a dream in 1986, when he was only 14 years old: To travel around the world without destroying it – that was his greatest wish. With the help of the solar cell manufacturer Q-Cells in Saxony-Anhalt this dream has become reality. Louis Palmer took off at the beginning of July to travel around the globe – in a 100% environmentally compatible manner – exclusively via the power of the sun! The electric vehicle that is transporting him over 40,000 kilometers and through 40 different countries is blue, nicely curved, and is jam-packed with solar energy. A total of six square meters of solar cells provides Palmer’s self-built “solar taxi” with energy – reliable, cost-efficient and above all: no CO2 emission!Louis Palmer has already journeyed from Lucerne through Germany, the Balkans, Turkey and Syria to Dubai. Even in the torrid heat of the Arabian Peninsula the solar taxi runs like a “Swiss clock”, as he likes to say. But something totally different caused a problem so far: The solar taxi was stuck in Jordan for three weeks because Saudi Arabia wouldn’t give Palmer a visa – the Saudi authorities simply didn’t know how to process such an unusual automobile. The matter was finally taken to the king himself, who then granted permission!Strong outer force is needed to stop the solar taxi. It covers long distances with 20 HP and a maximum of 90 km/h with no difficulty. The high-energy battery composed of saline solution, ceramic and nickel stores electricity for a limited range. But on days when Lois Palmer wants to travel longer distances, he can simply plug into a solar power grid fed by a solar power plant on a rooftop in Berne, Switzerland. It's like paying money into a bank account and withdrawing the money somewhere else. In this way one can get solar power for 15,000 kilometers annually with the solar taxi.The solar cells for Palmer’s vehicle came from “Q-Cells”, the largest independent producer of solar cells in the world. Since its establishment in 1999 the company is riding a huge wave of success. Through the development, manufacture and sale of high-capacity solar cells made of monocrystalline and multicrystalline silicon the company earned revenues of almost 540 million euros last year. The company in Saxony-Anhalt is pleased to support Louis Palmer in his solar powered earth-circling journey. “When the company came into being six years ago, such an undertaking was not more than a futuristic dream”, states Anton Milner, CEO of Q-Cells. “We are very proud that our cells are now conveying his solar taxi around the globe.”Louis Palmer is carrying his mission around the world – everywhere he goes he wants to visit inventers, pioneers, politicians and others who want to stop global warming – from the Czech auto club to the solar boat people on the Dubai Creek. In his online diary he reports daily about how the struggle against climate change is being accomplished in the different countries, and he participates actively in that struggle by demonstrating his solar taxi, lecturing, and visiting schools in order to inspire tomorrow’s generation to sustainable living.One very nice thing about his adventure is the way people get excited about his solar taxi and appreciate his “environmental mission”. “In Syria they sent me a police escort with flashing blue lights and sirens”, describes Palmer. “They just wanted to be sure that nothing happens to my solar taxi.” We join in that wish – for the next stations on his solar taxi journey will take him through the streets of India!Whoever would like to know more about the company Q-Cells and the solar taxi can look forward to the event “Gardens of Ideas” on 3rd of October in Washington D.C. On the occasion of the Day of German Unification, the German Embassy will present the most innovative ecological technologies from the new German federal states. The Club of Pioneers will be there, too, of course – so stay tuned!Pictures: Louis Palmer