Solar powered plane
The HB-SIA is the very first aircraft of its kind, designed to fly entirely on solar energy. In a world dominated by fossil fuels, the Solar Impulse project aims to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy as an alternative energy source for the future.designed to fly night and day without fuel or pollution.
Unveiled as the prototype of the world’s first solar-powered airplane by Bertrand Picard and André Borschberg in switzerland , Its first solar-powered flight around the world is already set to take place in 2012, making aeronautical history.
Fruit of years of work and research
The Solar Impulse HB-SIA is the result of years of research, studies, calculations and simulations. The plane boasts a wingspan of 63 meters able to carry up to 12,000 solar cells on its wings. The solar panels will power the four electric motors located in the aircraft and will charge the lithium-polymer batteries that will allow the plane to fly at night.
The HB-SIA’s mission is to check working hypotheses and to validate the selection of technologies and construction processes. If all goes according to plan the aircraft will take to the skies for a period of 36 hours next year, all without neither fuel nor pollution.
“Addressing this challenge is only possible by taking the maximum benefit of solar energy. Every watt counts, and all forms of saving energy are being looked into. Only the most sophisticated will allow it. We believe to have found them by comparing the experiences of each member of the team and by adding their potential,” said Borschberg.
The size of an airplane, the power of a scooter
The plane has the wingspan of an Airbus A340, which provides a surface for maximum solar cells. Also, the HB-SIA weighs no more than a car and has the power of a scooter. As a result, its engineers have needed to develop a completely new type of airplane with completely different characteristics.
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