Challenge
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In a world dependent on fossil energies, the Solar Impulse project is a paradox, almost a provocation. It aims to have an airplane take off and fly autonomously, day and night, propelled uniquely by solar energy. Staying aloft for several days on end, this airplane will fly round the world without fuel or pollution. The solar aircraft that have flown until now have not been designed to store sufficient energy and have had to land when there is insufficient sunlight (clouds or night). Other projects have sought to fly remote-controlled solar drones or airplanes powered with hydrogen engines. To demonstrate the formidible potential of renewable energies, Solar Impulse has aimed much higher. The pilot faces the major difficulty of managing the energy available to him. He will need to approach each night with full batteries and then use their energy as economically as possible in order to stay airborne until sunrise. A real count-down will begin at the end of each day, with the suspense peaking at the end of the night! We will know the exact time at which the sun will again be high enough on the horizon to feed the plane’s cells once again and we will be hoping to reach this point before the batteries are totally discharged. A crazy bet…. The greatest challenge therefore, before the round-the-world trip, will be the first night flight. |