Longtime supporters Solvay continue their partnership with Solar Impulse Foundation

Bertrand Piccard, Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay, and Carlos Moedas of the European Commission discuss at the Flagey Culture House in Brussels.

The partnership was announced at the Flagey culture house in Brussels by Solvay CEO Jean-Pierre Clamadieu and Bertrand Piccard, as part of a screening of Solar Impulse, l’impossible tour du monde.

Solvay were one of the earliest supporters of Solar Impulse’s mission, and their technology could be found throughout the aircraft, most notably in the lightweight fuselage. It also marks the next phase of the relationship between Solvay and the Piccard family that extends all the way back to the 1920’s and Bertrand’s grandfather, Auguste.

“Solvay’s joining of the Alliance, naturally flows from our 13-year partnership with Solar Impulse when we provided a variety of break-through technologies essential to the plane’s success. This Alliance will show again how collaboration and open innovation will turn visions into daily applications for a more sustainable planet and growth,” said Jean-Pierre Clamadieu.

The announcement also included an exchange between Clamadieu, Piccard and Carlos Moedas, the Research, Science and Innovation commissioner for the European Commission, where they discussed how we take our ambitions for the future and make them a reality.

The partnership between the Solar Impulse Foundation and Solvay demonstrates our shared commitment to find solutions that will make for a cleaner, better society. Solvay are a multi-specialty chemistry company developing products used in - amongst others - planes, cars, batteries, smart and medical devices. Through their products they seek to address key societal challenges and promote sustainability.

Solvay solutions could be found in more than two dozen applications across the Solar Impulse aircraft. Besides a fuselage that was extraordinarily lightweight, using carbon fiber composites and a systematic metal replacement program, their products were used for energy capture and storage, as well as improving the endurance and safety of the aircraft. You can find out more here.