A solar plane that solely functions on the power of the sunlight, completed a journey around the world, landing in Abu Dhabi after a 17-leg journey. The first solar-powered aircraft to circumnavigate the world without the use of any fuel, Solar Impluse 2 crossed Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the United States, the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and the Middle East.
Pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg began the journey on March 9, 2015, and travelled the world, logging a total of 23 days of flight and 26,744 miles. In a statement, Piccard said, "This is not only a first in the history of aviation, it's before all a first in the history of energy. I'm sure that, within 10 years, we'll see electric airplanes transporting 50 passengers on short-to-medium-haul flights. But it's not enough. The same clean technologies used on Solar Impulse could be implemented on the ground in our daily life to divide by two the emissions in a profitable way."
"More than a demonstration, it's the confirmation that these technologies are truly dependable and reliable," Borschberg said. "There is so much potential for the aeronautical world: While 100-percent-solar-powered airplanes might take longer to materialize, electric airplanes will develop in the near future because of their tremendous advantages, such as energy efficiency."
The aircraft was designed to fly day and night without using any fuel. It is powered entirely by 17,000 solar cells and onboard batteries, that charge during the day to power the place at night and during cloudy weather. The flight set a total of 19 world records, including Borschberg achieving the longest-duration solo flight when he flew five consecutive days and nights over the Pacific Ocean from Japan to Hawaii, and Piccard becoming the first to cross the Atlantic Ocean in a solar airplane.
