Round-the-world solar flight takes off from Abu Dhabi in two weeks

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

The start of the first attempt to fly around the world powered by solar energy is now just two weeks away, starting in the United Arab Emirates, with the flight’s control centre revealed to be in Monaco.

At the official opening on Tuesday, Prince Albert II of Monaco and the two Swiss pilots, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg , said the Mission Control Center (MCC) of the Solar Impulse project is already operational.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

The French principality will host a 40-strong team at the MCC, which will be used to collect data and direct operations as Solar Impulse 2 makes its way around the equator, taking in a 35,000km route. This will include assessing the levels of charge in the aircraft’s batteries as it flies.

Solar Impulse 2 will make 12 stops, taking off from the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi, flying for a total of 25 days which will be spread out over five months. As might be expected, the precise details of the route will depend to some extent on weather conditions – the journey is expected to start in 15 days time but may vary slightly, while the location of a stop in the Midwestern United States will be decided during the flight, for example.

After the plane takes off in Abu Dhabi, it will make its fuel-free way to stops in Oman, India, Myanmar and China, before crossing the Pacific to Hawaii. From there the flight travels across the USA, with stops in Arizona and New York and the yet-to-be-determined Midwestern stop. After an Atlantic crossing, the last stopover before Solar Impulse 2 returns to Abu Dhabi will either be in southern Europe or North Africa.

According to the team behind the project, preparation has taken 12 years, including feasibility studies as well as design and construction of the plane. Solar Impulse 2 follows the original prototype plane, Solar Impulse 1, which undertook a number of test flights. Main partners behind the project are Solvay, ABB, escalator and elevator manufacturer Schindler and Swiss watch maker Omega. Other partners to the project include Google, materials specialist Bayer Material Science, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and luxury drink brand Moët Hennessy. UAE solar company Masdar is the hosting partner for the Abu Dhabi take-off and landing centre.

The new carbon fibre plane features 17,248 solar cells with a 72 metre wingspan, longer even than the 59.6 metres of a Boeing 747’s wings. Weighing just over two tonnes (2,300 kg) with a single-seat, unpressurised cockpit, Solar Impulse 2 can fly at speeds of between around 50 and 100 km per hour. The craft is equipped with four lithium batteries which charge during the day to power night-time flying. This last aspect will be particularly important – as pilot Borschberg pointed out, the planned route will include flying for five days and nights consecutively.    

Monaco was apparently chosen due to a long-standing friendship between Piccard and Prince Albert II. Piccard hailed the monarch’s advocacy for clean energy, describing the prince as “one of the only heads of state to champion environmental protection at all political discussions”.

As well as being a story of adventure and the pitting of human wit against technical constraint, the flight is also intended to serve a campaigning purpose for clean energy. At each stop, the project’s team, led by Piccard and his colleague and Solar Impulse co-founder Borschberg, will organise events including visits to see the plane and online Google Hangouts to engage young people and other members of the public on the mission and its clean energy message.      

Read Next

December 3, 2024
Power from the project, which is under construction, will be sold to PGE under a 25-year contract and marketed through its Green Future Impact (GFI) scheme.
December 3, 2024
Consultancy DNV has forecast transmission grid congestion in the next few years to hinder renewable energy deployment in Spain.
December 3, 2024
Robert Klein, who previously ran the company's Brazilian business, will assume the role from 1st January, 2025.
December 3, 2024
Matrix Renewables has secured financing for its 210MW Stillhouse Solar project, to be built in Bell County of the US state of Texas.
December 3, 2024
Tata Power Renewable Energy, the developer subsidiary of Tata Power, has commissioned a 431MW solar PV plant in Madhya Pradesh, India.
December 3, 2024
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has said that the National Electricity Market (NEM) must introduce a new ‘emergency backstop’ mechanism to manage the impact rooftop solar PV can have on grid stability.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events, Upcoming Webinars
December 3, 2024
8.30am GMT / 9.30am CET
Solar Media Events, Upcoming Webinars
December 12, 2024
9am GMT / 10am CET
Solar Media Events
February 4, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
February 17, 2025
London, UK