The wonders of green technology have allowed us to have our homes, offices, and gadgets powered by the sun. But are you ready for a solar-powered plane?
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA landed early on July 8th after successfully flying for more than 24 hours on nothing but solar power. The plane left from the company’s Payerne airbase in Switzerland and landed there safely 26 hours and 9 minutes later.
Here are some techie facts:
- The long-winged HB-SIA aircraft is made of carbon fiber, covered by 12,000 solar panels, (10, 748 are on the wings and the remaining 880 solar cells are on the horizontal stabilizer)
- The plane weighs 1.7 tons
- The panels provide power for the aircraft’s 10-horsepower electric motors and lithium polymer batteries.
- The plane is 21.85 meters long
- The wingspan is 63.4 meters long
- Average speed is 70 km/h with an initial take-off speed of 35 km/h
- Maximum altitude is 27, 900 feet (8,500 meters)
- The average energy that can be generated during 24 hours is approximately 250w per square meter.
André Borscherg, CEO and co-founder of the Solar Impulse project, piloted the HB-SIA’s first day-and-night flight.
Borschberg climbed the aircraft to 28,000 feet. Once the sun set, Borscherg switched the power to its batteries and flew the rest of the night using energy that the panels had soaked up and stored from the sun during the day.
After landing, Borschberg, a former Swiss air force fighter pilot, said that the solar flight was the most incredible flight he had ever experienced in his career.
“Just sitting there and watching the battery charge level rise and rise thanks to the sun,” Borschberg said in a statement. “I have just flown more than 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution.”
According to Solar Impulse, the HB-SIA reached a maximum speed of 78 miles per hour and flew at an average of 26 miles per hour. The company said on its website that this is the furthest and fastest anyone has ever flown a solar-powered aircraft.
What’s next for Solar Impulse? The company plans to fly another solar aircraft across the Atlantic 2011 and then around he world in 2012.