Solar Plane - The future of efficient flight

Fuel powered aircraft are the major category of aircraft being flown right now. But engineers and innovators are looking forward for a more efficient power source to support flight. Solar power is one such solution. Solar powered aircraft have been flying around since a decade. But technology is driving the capability of flying machines to a whole new level.

Video Credits: SunPower

Current technology is pushing the flying machine to flown to the edge of space. Efforts are under process and soon would be a reality. But what's new in this? Flights are already capable of flying to the edge of space! Doing this with the solar plane is the innovation here. This helps making flights more efficient.

"Flying around the world without any fuel isn’t just for the birds."

As fuels prices soar and the carbon footprint of air travel gets bigger, isn’t it nice to imagine a world where solar powered planes fly from city to city without using up a costly natural resource?

Well, we’re have seen that dream become a reality. Swiss Pilots André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard began a slow but steady flight around the globe without using any fuel. Their airplane, Solar Impulse 2, was entirely solar powered.

Solar Impulse 2 is a revolutionary single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber so it’s ultra light; it weighs just under 7,055 pounds, which is about what a small car weighs. And it’s wingspan is comparatively massive. From tip to tip, Solar Impulse measures just over 263 feet, which is larger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747.

Video Credits: Seeker

On those wings are more than 17,000 solar cells designed to recharge 2077 pounds of lithium batteries. The batteries store enough energy to allow the airplane to fly at night, too, supplying continuous energy to its four engines.

So it should be able to fly around the world without stopping, right?

Not quite. Solar Impulse 2 is almost all wing. The cockpit is just over 134 cubic feet and can only support one pilot at a time. There are no facilities, no inflight meal service, and no place to rest. So Borschberg and Piccard were alternating legs of the journey.

They started from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, then made several stops in India, China, the U.S. and Europe before returning to Abu Dhabi. The flight is did take a while because Solar Impulse 2 can’t fly that high or that fast.

This isn’t the first long-distance solar-powered flight these pilots have made. In the summer of 2013, they flew from California to New York in the predecessor aircraft, Solar Impulse. It was also a slow journey, though not as slow; it reached a top speed of about 53 miles per hour.

It’ll be really interesting to see how this flight developed, and more interesting to see how this technology eventually trickles into the commercial market. But it’ll still be a while. This solar powered plane is the first of its kind and change doesn’t always come quick to the aviation industry.

Flying people all around the world is a massive business that can’t stop while new technologies are introduced. So if solar powered planes do become commonplace, not only is it a way off, but it will likely be a slow transition. So what about you guys?

Are you keen to fly by solar power? Providing there was a washroom on board, that is. If you are interested in seeing the constructions of a solar plane do watch the video below.

Video Credits: RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse

(Note: A major portion of this article has been adapted from "Are Solar Planes The Future Of Flight?" video on YouTube by "Seeker", thus neither the author nor this blog claims any authorship of the content in this article. It is solely shared with an intention to create awareness.)