ClimateTech

Raphaël Domjan - A Solar-Powered World Tour & the Energy Transition | ESSEC iMagination Week 2025

ESSEC Business School
ESSEC Business School•Mar 19, 2026

Why It Matters

Domjan’s solar circumnavigation proves large‑scale renewable power is viable, urging accelerated investment and policy action to meet looming climate and energy targets.

Key Takeaways

  • •Solar-powered boat completed first global circumnavigation using sun energy.
  • •Solar costs dropped from $1000 per watt to ten cents.
  • •Global solar capacity surged from 0.5 GW to 650 GW by 2024.
  • •Renewables must deliver 14 terawatts by 2050 to replace fossils.
  • •Persistence and optimism are essential for securing clean‑tech project funding.

Summary

Raphaël Domjan’s presentation at ESSEC iMagination Week 2025 highlighted his historic solar‑powered world voyage aboard Planet Solar, the largest solar‑electric boat ever built, and positioned the feat as a tangible proof‑of‑concept for a broader energy transition. He traced his journey from early solar web hosting ventures to pioneering solar navigation in polar regions, culminating in a two‑year, $30 million circumnavigation that proved solar propulsion could rival conventional fossil‑fuel vessels. Domjan underscored dramatic cost reductions in photovoltaic technology—dropping from $1,000 per watt in the 1970s to just ten cents today—and a meteoric rise in installed capacity, from half a gigawatt two decades ago to roughly 650 GW in 2024. He warned that meeting the 14 TW renewable target for 2050 will require leveraging the sun’s 600 TW potential, noting that solar alone could supply the world’s electricity needs if roof‑top installations are maximized. Memorable moments included rescuing a fuel‑depleted boat in the Indian Ocean, confronting pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and a serendipitous McDonald’s meeting that secured a €20 million sponsor. Domjan also shared a stark statistic: humanity burns about 300 tons of oil‑derived energy every second, emphasizing the urgency of shifting to inexhaustible solar power. The implications are clear: solar technology is now economically competitive, scaling rapidly, and capable of powering complex, long‑duration missions. Domjan’s story serves as a rallying cry for entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to accelerate funding, infrastructure, and regulatory support for renewable projects, reinforcing that the transition from fossil fuels to solar is not only possible but already underway.

Original Description

iMagination Week est un programme de l’ESSEC Business School dédié à l’imagination et à la créativité. Du 6 au 17 janvier 2025, nous avons proposé aux étudiants du programme Grande École, sur les campus de Cergy et Singapour, de travailler sur le thème : « Shaping a Desirable Future ».
Raphaël Domjan, explorateur, navigateur, pilote et parachutiste, nous partage son parcours hors du commun. Premier à avoir réalisé un tour du monde à bord d’un bateau propulsé uniquement par l’énergie solaire, il est aussi le créateur de l’un des plus grands navires solaires au monde.
À travers son expérience, il souligne l’urgence de sortir des énergies fossiles : l’énergie solaire existe déjà, son coût ne cesse de diminuer, et pour lui, il n’est pas trop tard.
Il revient aussi sur l’aventure PlanetSolar, avec une anecdote aussi improbable que décisive : il trouve son premier partenaire la veille de Noël… dans un McDonald’s. Une rencontre inattendue, avec un milliardaire qui choisit d’investir, et qui résume sa philosophie : « Ne ferme aucune porte. »
➡️ Un témoignage inspirant sur l’innovation, la persévérance et la transition énergétique.
***
iMagination Week is an ESSEC Business School program dedicated to imagination and creativity. From January 6th to 17th, 2025, we invited Grande École students on the Cergy and Singapore campuses to work on the theme: “Shaping a Desirable Future.”
Raphaël Domjan, explorer, navigator, pilot, and parachutist, shares his extraordinary journey. He was the first to complete a world tour aboard a boat powered solely by solar energy, and he is also the creator of one of the world’s largest solar-powered vessels.
Through his experience, he stresses the urgency of moving away from fossil fuels: solar energy already exists, its cost keeps decreasing, and for him, it is not too late.
He also looks back on the PlanetSolar story, including a decisive and unexpected moment: he met his first partner on Christmas Eve… in a McDonald’s. That unlikely encounter — with a billionaire who chose to invest — sums up his philosophy: “Don’t close any doors.”
➡️ An inspiring talk about innovation, perseverance, and the energy transition.
***
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