Swiss Solar Plane to Circle the Globe with No Fuel

Solar Impulse has been unveiled

By Anna Maria Jakubek Posted 07.02.2009 at 5:32 pm 6 Comments

Solar Impulse: The Solar Impulse is the prototype of a fuel-free aircraft that is designed to circle the globe on sunlight alone. Solar Impulse/Stephane Gros

As environmental concerns increasingly shape the direction of technology, the future of aviation is no exception: scientists have been looking to replace fuel-guzzling aircraft with solar-powered variants, an innovation that, in addition to passing the green test, would also enable planes to linger in the sky for longer.

View Photo Gallery

It's a future toward which the Pentagon, for one, has already made strides. If you remember, Darpa, the Pentagon's advanced-research organization, recently developed an aircraft that could theoretically stay in the air for a decade. However, the aircraft is intended only for military purposes -- so don't expect to ever fly aboard Darpa's Odysseus.

On the other hand, the Solar Impulse -- a new Swiss solar-powered aircraft that was unveiled on Friday -- could have commercial uses (though as of yet, it only has enough space for the pilot). As we reported last month, the aircraft, which doesn't require a single drop of fuel, is designed to run on sunlight alone, as its four engines would be powered by electricity converted via the wings' solar cells. Thanks to this design, the aircraft has the potential to stick around in the air for longer than your average airliner.

But whether it will work is still up in the air (ha ha): the team faces several technical challenges and is armed with only a limited budget that precludes their use of any cutting-edge technology. This financial constraint, then, was part of the reason for last week's official unveiling, where the researchers asked for contributions -- however small -- to the project. Those interested in helping out can sponsor their their own individual solar cell.

The Solar Impulse is slated for a test run later this year, so we'll find out soon enough how it fares. If all goes well, the Swiss will build a second version that they expect to pilot first across the Atlantic, and then across the entire world in 2012.

Previous Article: Darpa's First Robotic Ornithopter Hovers, Flies Like a Hummingbird

Next Article: Blackout Bomb: Air Force's High-Powered Microwave Weapons Fry Enemy Equipment

Want to read more articles on the military, aviation, and space? Subscribe to Popular Science today, for less than $1 per issue!

6 Comments

Link to this comment

whitesites

07/03/09 at 2:22 am

commercial uses are a long way off. commercial planes have to be ready to go at moments notice, and fly in all sorts of weather conditions. I highly doubt we will see solar powered airlines any time soon.

http://prosportnutrition.net/?a=633808700294218750

Link to this comment

bdhoro87

07/03/09 at 11:13 am

Yea its not gonna replace the commercial jet, but there's a lot of potential here. What we really need is for the commercial jet industry to make hybrids out of these types of technology. Why not outfit a regular jet with some solar panels, because most of the time they're flying above the clouds or in clear weather, it could greatly reduce fuel consumption. More of our vehicles need to marry all types of alternative energy sources I mean we already have hybrids, why not slap a solar panel on one make it some kind of triple hybrid.

Link to this comment

atGunPoint

07/04/09 at 7:20 am

Not sure where this one's going , but I do know that if this technology made commercial available... no way would I want to fly in a plane with no fuel...lol

Link to this comment

hershko

07/05/09 at 10:25 am

The Swiss Solar Plane indeed shapes the direction of technology and the future of aviation, but it flies too slow.In the future they will have to improve its speed fo flight. dordor77@netvision.net.il

Link to this comment

greenjello

07/27/09 at 10:57 pm

The triple hybrid idea sounds cool but consider the principles of a turbine engine. High heat and blast prepulsion. The idea would be very pheasable to a prop-based aircraft though.

Link to this comment

jstack6

04/17/13 at 12:04 am

Like the wright brothers you have to start someplace and this is very good. If you don't have vision you would have given up on the computer, solar panels, cell phones and many other items that are very common today. That's what Popular Science is all about. The ideas, the future you gotta have vision.

I've been reading PS since I was 7. I now live in a 110% solar powered home that also power my 100% Electric Nissan LEAF and the power company pays us each year! No other fuels!

I work with fiber optic's that blinks pulses of light around the world on hair thin fibers at Mega Bits per second. Of course it a world full of Science and wonder!

Technology

+ More Photo Galleries

June 2013: American Energy Independence

Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.