SolarButterfly inspires students: Experience climate protection up close!

SolarButterfly inspires students: Experience climate protection up close!

The SolarButterfly, the largest solar-powered vehicle in the world, started its journey on June 30, 2025 at the Otto-Graf-Realschule in Leimen. This impressive tour is part of the climate protection offensive “Ich.machs.jetzt” in the Rhein-Neckar district and runs until July 4th. During this time, the SolarButterfly will stop at a total of eight schools to raise awareness among young people about climate change and raise their awareness of the environment. Present at this special occasion were, among others, District Administrator Stefan Dallinger, project manager Louis Palmer as well as Mayor John Ehret and school principal Martin Albrecht.

With its 40 square meters of fold-out solar wings, the SolarButterfly is a true masterpiece of environmentally friendly technology. It generates the electricity for the electric car that pulls it and can travel up to 200 kilometers a day without emissions. In addition, the vehicle was largely made from recycled PET bottles from the world's oceans, underlining its environmentally friendly mission. “Innovations like the SolarButterfly show us that we can all play a part in saving our planet,” noted Louis Palmer in one of his inspiring lectures, which have taken him and his team to over 50 countries since 2022.

A look at the tour

The SolarButterfly route is set for the following schools:

• Karl-Friedrich-Schimper Gemeinschaftsschule Schwetzingen (30. Juni)
• Realschule Eberbach (1. Juli)
• Theodor-Heuss-Realschule Walldorf (2. Juli)
• Theodor-Heuss-Gemeinschaftsschule Sinsheim (3. Juli)
• Hartmann-Baumann-Schule, Schule am Kraichbach und Theodor-Heuss-Realschule Hockenheim (4. Juli)

The ambitious project was launched on May 23, 2023 and aims to cross six continents and 90 countries over a four-year period. By the end of 2023, the SolarButterfly is estimated to have traveled 50,000 kilometers and visited 35 countries in Europe and North America. The mission is clear: to find 1,000 creative pioneers and their ideas to combat climate change in order to raise global awareness. To achieve this, a total of 1,000 events are planned with the press, schools, politicians and entrepreneurs. The grand finale will take place in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, during the UN Climate Summit.

Another important point is the innovative production of the SolarButterfly. The vehicle is based on the world's first residential vehicle made from Ocean PET, i.e. recycled PET bottles. This is not only environmentally friendly, but also forward-looking in terms of sustainable material use, which represents a big step towards closed recycling cycles. These technologies are already being researched in research projects such as the one at the Technical University of Dortmund, where attempts are being made to realize efficient recycling of PET through chemical recycling. Such approaches could form the basis for many similar projects in the future.

In summary, the SolarButterfly is not only a fascinating journey, but also an important step in the right direction: towards a more conscious approach to our planet. For more information about the project, the SolarButterfly and Climate Protection Offensive websites are worth visiting.