rides

Solar-powered flight is a step closer to reality. Several Swiss adventurers are hard at work on the Solar Impulse, a zero-emission airplane powered entirely by the sun. They promote renewable energies as they push technology to new limits. Testing on the aircraft is being conducted with computer simulations. And pilots are able to maneuver it in a variety of environments - including night flight - a considerable challenge for a plane powered by sunlight. The plane itself is little more than a giant wing - a giant array of solar cells - and a tiny compartment for the pilot. Takeoff of a full size plane is planed for 2011, but Piccard and Borschberg are currently most focused on getting the prototype flying test flights, and working up to 36-hour overnight flights.

Solar Impulse Concept Drawing. Click to view full size

For now, the Solar Impulse has only one seat. “Today we can transport one person with renewable energy, and of course we hope in future, maybe with different technologies, we can transport 300 persons using only renewable energies to propel the airplane,” explains Andre Borschberg, pilot.

Traveling at a leisurely, energy-efficient 45 mph, Solar Impulse will take three weeks to circle the globe. It will land every few days to change pilots and show off the technology to the public. Piccard hopes the sight of the plane in flight will prove that renewable energy can transform even the most energy-hungry human activities, sparking interest and investment in green tech across the globe.