Solar Power and Aircrafts: Solar Planes in the Near Future
The first aircraft manned and powered by solar energy will go around the world by 2010 after overcoming the technical difficulty of flying at night, a difficulty that made the NASA Helios project fail, in 2001. The prototype, led by a Swiss adventurer, is covered with photovoltaic cells and need heavy batteries to store energy to continue flying during the night. Both engines on the tail will help the take off to help and will charge the batteries. The project aims to demonstrate that sustainable development is not incompatible with progress.
Solar Impulse
The Sun is a source of infinite energy and will serve to fuel a new generation of aircraft thanks to the vision and tenacity of a Swiss adventurer called Bertrand Piccard.
This is the Solar Impulse project, which is building a plane to fly around the world powered only by solar energy. This trip would be taken by Piccard and his colleague Brian Jones. The two adventurers made the first balloon flight nonstop around the world, in 1999.
Creators and supporters of the project believe that the future of our planet depends on the development of new technologies more than the reduction of our mobility or our quality of life. In this way, the Solar Impulse intends to assist the progress, albeit in a non-aggressive approach to the environment.
Efficient energy alternatives
The European Space Agency (ESA) has made available to the Solar Impulse the space technologies in Europe through the Technology Transfer Program. The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, is the official scientific advisor to the project. Solar Impulse’s intention is to promote the use of alternative energy in aviation, in this case the solar infinite energy, clean compared to polluting and finite fossil fuels that are used at present. Although the design of the aircraft could never carry too many passengers, Solar Impulse is after awakening public interest in those technologies capable of sustainable development. The sun is the main energy source of the satellites, as well as for Piccard’s plane. The European space industry has developed some of the most efficient intelligent energy management devices, solar cells and energy storage systems, with which this aircraft will fly smoothly and without any form of traditional fuel.
Flying nonstop around the world will take place in 2010 and not 2006 as it was said when the project was announced in 2003. In an update of the project that has just been made public, it is confirmed that the prototype will be piloted by three people: Bertrand Piccard, President and initiator of the project, Brian Jones, program development, and André Borschberg executive director of the project.
The conceptual design of the aircraft is already underway and the prototype was built in 2007. During 2008 the first test flights took place which included night flights, and in 2009 will take place the first flights with several days of duration. Finally, in 2010 the Solar Impulse will circumnavigate the globe nonstop. It will be a journey divided into five phases, each lasting three to five days. The first solar powered plane will fly from the west to the east, at between 10 to 30 degrees north of the Equator, to make best use of air currents and the sun energy.
No related posts.
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
Leave a Reply