| Online: | |
| Visits: | |
| Stories: |
| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Solar Impulse Airplane : Exploration To Change The World
35,000km Journey to Show how Clean Tech and Pioneering Spirit can Change the World
Swiss pioneers Bertrand Piccard (L) and André Borschberg ® are the founders, pilots and driving force behind Solar Impulse | Source: UNEP
Abu Dhabi, 9 March 2015 – Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, of Solar Impulse, today launched the first ever attempted flight around the world using only solar power.*
In the footsteps of the great aeronautical firsts, Solar Impulse intends to achieve the first round-the-world solar flight to demonstrate how existing clean technologies and a pioneering spirit can change the world.
The attempt comes following 12 years of research, tests and development. Using only solar energy and clean technology, the Swiss-born duo, who are ardent advocates for a clean future, will take turns flying the single-seater aircraft, starting from Abu Dhabi for the first of 12 flights spread over a period of five months.
“With Solar Impulse, we want to demonstrate how clean technologies can simultaneously protect the environment and create job and profit opportunities, bringing more energy-efficient products on the market,” Bertrand Piccard and Borschberg said in a joint statement.
UNEP believes the attempt will help to demonstrate how a new low-carbon economy is needed and possible.
The attempt is being made in Solar Impulse 2 (Si2), a revolutionary single-seater aircraft made of carbon fiber with a 72 meter wingspan (larger than that of the Boeing 747-8I) and a weight of just 2,300 kg – the equivalent to that of a car.
The only airplane able to fly day and night without a drop of fuel, Si2 is equipped with 17,000 solar cells built into the wing. During the day, the solar cells recharge lithium batteries weighing 633 Kg (2077 lbs.) which allow the aircraft to fly at night.
Further Resources’ Solar Impulse
*Source: UNEP. Go to Original.
2015 Human Wrongs Watch
Filed under: Mother Earth, The Peoples 
Source: http://human-wrongs-watch.net/2015/03/09/33582/
