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Emirati men
stand near the Solar Impulse 2, the first solar-powered plane to be able
to fly
for several days and nights, on January 20, 2015 at an Abu Dhabi airport, on
the sidelines of the eighth edition of the World Future Energy Summit (AFP)
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A plane
with the top speed of a homing pigeon is set to embark on a landmark
round-the-world flight powered only by the sun's energy, organisers said
Tuesday.
Solar
Impulse 2, the first solar-powered plane to be able to fly for several days and
nights, will land 12 times along its roughly 35,000 kilometre (22,000 mile)
trip -- including a five-day stretch above the Pacific Ocean without a drop of
fuel.
"We
want to demonstrate that clean technology and renewable energy can achieve the
impossible," said Solar Impulse chairman Bertrand Piccard, the scion of a
dynasty of Swiss scientists-cum-adventurers.
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The Cockpit
element of the solar-powered
plane the Solar Impulse 2 is loaded to
Cargolux
Boeing 747 cargo aircraft on
January 5, 2015 at Payerne airport
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"Renewable
energy can become an integral part of our lives, and together we can help save
our planet's natural resources."
The plane's
route was unveiled Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, where it will begin the journey in
late February or early March.
It will
first stop at Muscat in Oman, to benefit from the Gulf's low-cloud conditions,
before crossing the Arabian Sea to India and heading on to Myanmar, China,
Hawaii and New York.
Landings
are also earmarked for the midwestern United States and either southern Europe
or north Africa, depending on weather conditions.
The longest
single leg will see a pilot fly the plane non-stop for five days and nights across
the Pacific between Nanjing in China and Hawaii -- a distance of 8,500
kilometres.
It will
take around 25 days of total flying time for Si2 to complete its
round-the-world journey.
'Virtually unlimited autonomy'
Although
groundbreaking in distance, the trip will not be undertaken at a lightning
pace.
With flight
speeds of 50-100 kilometres (30-60 miles) per hour, the entire round-the-world
journey is expected to take five months to complete.
The plane
is the successor of Solar Impulse, a pioneering craft which notched up a
26-hour flight in 2010, proving its ability to store enough power in lithium
batteries during the day to keep flying at night.
This year's
flight marks the culmination of 12 years of research and testing, organisers
say.
Si2, whose
makers claim it is the most energy efficient aircraft ever built, has a wider
wingspan than a Boeing 747 but, thanks to its innovative design, weighs about
as much as a family 4x4.
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The Cockpit
element of the solar-powered plane the Solar Impulse 2 is secured
in place
after being loaded to Cargolux Boeing 747 cargo aircraft on January 5,
2015 at
Payerne airport
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The carbon
fibre, single seater plane has 17,249 solar cells built into its wings that
will supply four electric motors and the rechargeable lithium batteries.
Speed at
night will be limited to prevent the batteries from being run down too quickly.
Designers
say the system gives Si2 "virtually unlimited autonomy".
Aviation
enthusiasts will be able to watch a live video stream of the plane's progress
once it sets off from Abu Dhabi on its pioneering voyage on the firm's website
www.solarimpulse.com.
"Solar
Impulse 2 must accomplish what no other plane in the history of aviation has
achieved -- flying without fuel for five consecutive days and nights with only
one pilot in the unpressurised cockpit," said Andre Borschberg, a former
Swiss air force pilot and the company's co-founder and chief executive.
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