Solar Impulse 2 Aircraft Set To Travel Round The World In 2015

The team that made the first round-the-clock solar powered plane has unveiled its successor, the Solar Impulse 2. Its predecessor was able to fly for 26 hours straight without using a single drop of fuel. Now, the SI 2 will be capable of flying for 5 days straight and making a round-the-world flight- a remarkable achievement for a solar plane. The men who lead the team are Bertrand Piccard, the first man to take a balloon around the globe, and André Borschberg, an engineer and entrepreneur.

As with any advanced product as this, the Solar Impulse 2 is a collection of many impressive engineering feats. The wingspan of the Solar Impulse 2 is 72 m, larger than that of a Boeing 747 (68.5 m), but its weight about that of an average car, about 2,300 Kg. The Lithium batteries alone weigh 633 Kg. The plane has four 17.5 HP motors as its engines. These are powered by greater than 17,000 solar cells installed on the wings. The plane has a maximum speed of only 140 Km/hr and for optimum energy usage, it will have to fly slower than that. All fine during the day, but the night-time power consumption restrictions on this aircraft are draconian, with the average power output to be limited to 15 HP average over a 24-hour period. But given the high efficiency of the motors (97%), power wastage could be minimized. Not surprisingly, the cockpit space has been reduced to a mere 3.8 cubic meters. Also, each of the solar cell is 135 microns thick, as about five human hair.


The aircraft, as much as a challenge to designers, is definitely not a cakewalk for the pilots. Borschberg and Piccard both will be piloting the plane. The specially made seats in the aircraft double up as toilets and can also be folded into a bed. A plane not heavier than a car is bound to face difficulties on ground and in strong winds, turbulence, stormy conditions, etc. Thus, the major difficulties will be in landing the plane rather than flying it. To be safe, a route is planned such that the plane flies over land as much as possible. The team is searching for the city in the Gulf which can serve as a departing and landing destination. Also considering the fragility of the aircraft, stopovers will be made India, Myanmar, China, the USA and Southern Europe or Northern Africa.

The prototype will be out for testing within a few weeks and the 5-month mission will be undertaken in 2015. Sponsored by major companies such as ABB, Schindler, Omega and Solvay, the "Round The World" In A Solar Plane" is certainly a major endeavor in itself which has put our technological abilities to test. Provided this mission is successful, we could be looking at more and more new ideas to utilize green energy efficiently.

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