The Solar Impulse

Which have been some of the ideas that have made flying easier, faster and a whole lot fun? The autopilot, ejection system, automatic throttles, the stalling device, self locking fasteners and seatback videos, have been major 20th century inventions. It’s been a hundred years and over since Orville and Wilbur Wright first flew their petrol-engine flying machine, at a distance of 37 meters.

Exactly a hundred years later, a century since the first flight had launched, comes the third generation of human flight, the HB-SIA a European enterprise. It is a solar powered airplane, which would fly great distances solely on solar power. The first prototype launched in the summer of the ninth year of the 21st century (seen on the website), is designed to fly for a continuous sum of 48 hours. The objective of the first flight is purely for test purposes. The significant features include –

a) light weight – equal to a family car (1600 kgs)
b) not a lengthy wingspan – 63 meters
c) limit on altitude of flight – 8500 meters
d) a one seater

Officially known as the HB-SIA, this project is a culmination of joint efforts and contributions of responsible entities, across nations. The master idea of Bertrand Piccard and co-founder André Borschberg, today has become reality. Now, mentioning the objectives and relevance of such a sustainable project, Bertrand Piccard speaks at a press conference (2007) –

The Goal
“Our goal is to show how exiting, how positive it can be, to invent an other future, to invent alternative ways to behave and to act.”

Bearing in mind the scarcity, of non-renewable sources of energy, the total budget of this project is 70 million Euros. Realizing the cost of conversion to environmentally friendly sources of energy, there also is aid of tens of millions of Euro, in store.

The Challenge
“The greatest adventure of the 21t century is to get rid of our dependency of fossil energies.”

The founder of the project also mentioned that people should not complain about the non-availability of renewable sources of energy, as they are present in society. The first solar prototype already has parts and mechanics which can be used in the automobile industry, heaters and industries. He continues by mentioning the message, which he would like everyone to carry with them –

The Message
“We can have a good quality of life in this world, we can solve the financial crisis, we can fight poverty, and we can protect the environment, only by inventing the future with enough pioneering spirit, the technological solutions already exist, we need desperately political courage, ambitious visions, in order to force the implications of solutions we already have, through government regulations and ambitious incentives”

The major partners of the Solar Impulse are –
a) Solvay
b) Omega
c) Detsche Bank
These partners are also actively present in manufacturing of the two planes, by providing their expertise and skills. The final model will take flight in 2012 for days and nights and eventually travel around the entire globe. Some of its features include –

a) 11,628 mono-crystal silicon panels each 150 microns thick
b) 22% efficiency of solar wing
c) Wingspan 63.40 m
d) Length 21.85 m
e) Height 6.40 m
f) Motor power 4 x 10 HP electric engines
g) Solar cells 11,628 (10,748 on the wing, 880 on the horizontal stabilizer)
h) Average flying speed 70 km/h
i) Maximum altitude 8,500 m (27,900 ft)
j) Weight 1,600 kg
k) Take-off speed 35 km/h

Looking at facts, the global CO2 emissions are caused primarily due to the automobile industry, domestic activities, waste and disposal and the industrial sector. Though, only 5% emissions are caused due to air transportation.

In 1903 when the inventors of air travel had designed the Wright Flyer, they never knew of the third generation of their contributions to mankind. And the brothers were originally bicycle manufactures! Though now it’s a reality.

“All that is impossible remains to be achieved”
- Jules Verne