While biofuels are all the rage in the aviation industry these days, a special-made aircraft is about to attempt the longest flight ever via solar energy from Switzerland to Africa. The innovative solar-powered airplane, dubbed the Solar Impulse, will use technical expertise, high-tech polymer materials, and energy-saving lightweight materials from Bayer MaterialScience.
The flight will be 48 hours crossing the Pyrenees and Mediterranean to reach its final destination in Morocco with a stopover in Spain. The aircraft completed its first international flight from Switzerland to France to Belgium in 2011. The latest trip will coincide with the start of Morocco’s construction of its Ouarzazate CSP plant.
Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse, is excited about landing in Morocco as a first non-European destination: "This corresponds fully with the goals we had set ourselves, in terms of distance and flight duration. Flying as far as this, powered only by solar energy, will be excellent training for the round-the-world trip planned for 2014."
Alternative Energy