Solar Impulse 2 - The First Aircraft to Circle the Globe Using Solar

Posted by: JackSawyer // Student

The Solar Impulse 2 has become the first solar powered aircraft to complete a trip around the world. Packing 17,000 solar cells in its wings, the Solar Impulse 2 harnessed energy from the sun to power its journey. Mr. Piccard and Mr. Borschberg have spent more than a decade working on the solar powered aircraft and took turns piloting the plane on its historic journey.

The trip began last year on March, 9th and saw the plane travel over four continents, three seas and two oceans. Not only did they break a record for renewable energy transportation, but Mr. Borschberg also broke the record for the longest uninterrupted solo flight, taking 118 hours, he travelled from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii, U.S.. Being the first solar aircraft to attempt such a feat came with a number of technical challenges, the biggest one perhaps, being the fact that the aircraft was very sensitive to weather conditions. In order to tackle this issue the solar panels would charger the planes batteries during the day and rise to an altitude of 29,000 feet. By doing this the plane was able to negate some weather conditions and also meant that at night the plane would be able to conserve power by gliding down to about 5,000 feet.

This accomplishment signifies a great achievement for renewable energy transportation as it proves that the technology has the potential to become a viable option for flight in the future. Furthermore, it demonstrates that clean energy can be utilized in any and every area we require. By flying around the world Mr. Piccard and Mr. Borschberg have shown that solar can provide perks that gasoline aircrafts cannot: cheaper costs, cleaner transmissions, and flights that do not require layovers. If the technology can be innovated upon we could see a promising new alternative to the planes we fly on today. What do you think of the Solar Impulse's achievement? Will it beckon a new wave of progress towards bringing clean energy aircrafts to the market?

Carrington, Damian. "Solar Plane Makes History after Completing Round-the-world Trip." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 25 July 2016. Web. 25 July 2016. <https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jul/26/solar-impulse-plane-makes-history-completing-round-the-world-trip>.