With pilot and project co-founder André Borschberg at the helm, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed yesterday (July 8th) morning, marking a never-achieved-before feat and a milestone in the search for clean air travel. Air traffic contributes a great deal to greenhouse emissions around the world.
The test flight departed from Payerne in Switzerland just before 7am (local time) on Wednesday. It landed at 9am the next day. The machine’s battery was charged by 12,000 solar cells which were attached to the plane’s wings while horizontal stabilizers charged a battery, which was used to power four engines. The machine’s wingspan is over 207 feet, 72 feet in length and weighs about 3,520 pounds. It reached a maximum speed of 43 miles/hr.
The other project co-founder, Bertrand Piccar, the Swiss adventurer that piloted the first nonstop balloon flight around the world, says their goal was to develop a solar-powered plane that could fly day and night without the use of fuel and thus prove the project’s credibility.
Well, they can rest assured they achieved just that when André managed to fly through the night on solar power. The project includes plans for a round-the-world flight.
Will solar-powered commercial airtravel be a reality in the future? The Swiss duo seem eager to prove it may well be.
Watch video report:
It looks like a glider with solar panels, but a HUGE step none the less.
It is true that this is such a great step forward. Even though it isn’t extremely efficient as of right now, it is great to see that there are people and companies working to make significant impacts in green energy technologies.