Solar Impulse aircraft
Of all the major greenhouse gas emitting sources in the world, commercial air travel is one of the biggest offenders. Now, there is hope for cleaner, greener flights.
The Solar Impulse is a giant, 4-motored electric airplane that is covered with more than 12,000 PV solar cells on its wings, fuselage and horizontal stabilizer.
According to the Solar Impulse web site:
At midday, each m2 of land surface receives the equivalent of 1000 Watts, or 1.3 horsepower of light power. Over 24 hours, this averages out at just 250W/m2. With 200m2 of photovoltaic cells and a 12 % total efficiency of the propulsion chain, the plane’s motors achieve no more than 8 HP or 6kW – roughly the amount of power the Wright brothers had a available to them in 1903 when they made their first powered flight.
Wikipedia states:
The plane is as wide as an Airbus A340. Under the wing are four gondolas, each with a set of lithium polymer batteries, a 10HP motor and a twin-bladed propeller. To keep the structure ultra-light, a customized carbon fibre honeycomb sandwich structure is used.
Wondering how the Solar Impulse can keep flying overnight? One word: batteries. And now 5 words: How much do they weigh?
At 400 kilograms, the batteries comprise 1/4 the total weight of the airplane, but they’ll be equally dispersed across the entire mass. Lithium polymer batteries will be insulated, as well, to prevent freezing at the massively cold -40 degrees Celsius temps at more than 27,000 feet elevation that the solar plane will fly.
The average cruise speed will be 70 km/hr, so it will take approximately a week to complete the trip, which is to be made in four long legs starting on the Persian Gulf, across southeast Asia, then across the Pacific to Hawaii. From Hawaii, a two-man crew will fly two nights straight, landing in Miami, Florida. From Florida they will cross the Atlantic to North Africa and then back to the Gulf. The route of the flight is depicted in a Flash animation.
Are we on the cutting edge of emissions-free airplane travel? Yes, say the project’s promoters. In fact, a second airplane is planned for 2011, which will include a pressurized cabin to allow for trans continental and trans-oceanic flights. And plans for an around-the-world flight are in the works for 2012.
Who would have thought… a solar airplane? Actually, come to think of it, why not?
Tags: electric airplane, photovoltaic solar cells, PV solar cells, solar airplane, solar impulse, solar plane
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