Around the World on a Solar Plane

This March, a unique attempt will be made in aviation history. A solar-powered aircraft will attempt to fly across the world, through day and night, without a drop of fuel. The journey is estimated to take five months. Although initially expected to take off from Abu Dhabi on 1 March, with a halt in Ahmedabad and Varanasi two days later, the departure, at the time of writing this article, has been delayed because of sand storms in Abu Dhabi. This privately- financed project is being led by a Swiss aeronaut, Bertrand Piccard, who in 1999 co-piloted the first balloon to circumnavigate the globe non-stop, and a Swiss businessman, André Borschberg. Their first solar-powered aircraft, Solar Impulse 1, a single-seat monoplane , was flown between Switzerland and Belgium, Spain and Morocco, and across the US.

The current aircraft, Solar Impulse 2, is a larger follow-on design. Explaining the project to students in Abu Dhabi, Gulf Today reported Borschberg as saying, “Solar Impulse 2…is the first… to cross oceans and continents—remaining in the skies for several days and nights in a row without landing. The aircraft collects energy from the sun while flying throughout the day and stores the energy to enable us to fly throughout the night.” With a wingspan of 72 metres, the aircraft is slightly smaller than an Airbus A380, but, at 2,300 kg, it weighs little more than an average automobile. The 17,248 solar cells will feed energy to the aircraft’s four propellers. Additional energy will be collected and stored in the aircraft’s lithium-polymer batteries. The flight speeds are expected to range from 36 kmph to 140 kmph, with a hightest cruising altitude of 8,500 metres.

The route of the flight will include stops in Oman, Myanmar, China, and the US. After crossing the Atlantic, the final leg will include a stopover either in Southern Europe or North Africa before its return to Abu Dhabi.

About The Author

Lhendup G Bhutia

•