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  • The Technology Behind The Solar Plane Solar Impulse-2

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    arjun
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    Solar Impulse-2 is a solar-powered aircraft that recently completed the second leg of its round-the-world trip flying from Abu Dhabi to India powered solely by energy from 17,000 solar cells. It stores excess solar energy in lithium-ion batteries to fly at night and has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 747 despite weighing only 2.3 tons. Piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the aircraft flies slowly at a maximum speed of 100 mph but demonstrates that solar technology is progressing to enable aircraft to fly faster and with heavier payloads in the future.

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    The Technology Behind the Solar Plane Solar Impulse-2

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    The Technology Behind the Solar Plane Solar Impulse-2

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    Solar Impulse-2 is a solar-powered aircraft that recently completed the second leg of its round-the-world trip flying from Abu Dhabi to India powered solely by energy from 17,000 solar cells. It stores excess solar energy in lithium-ion batteries to fly at night and has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 747 despite weighing only 2.3 tons. Piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the aircraft flies slowly at a maximum speed of 100 mph but demonstrates that solar technology is progressing to enable aircraft to fly faster and with heavier payloads in the future.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    149 views3 pages

    The Technology Behind The Solar Plane Solar Impulse-2

    Uploaded by

    arjun
    Solar Impulse-2 is a solar-powered aircraft that recently completed the second leg of its round-the-world trip flying from Abu Dhabi to India powered solely by energy from 17,000 solar cells. It stores excess solar energy in lithium-ion batteries to fly at night and has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 747 despite weighing only 2.3 tons. Piloted by Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, the aircraft flies slowly at a maximum speed of 100 mph but demonstrates that solar technology is progressing to enable aircraft to fly faster and with heavier payloads in the future.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 3

    9/4/2016

    TheTechnologyBehindtheSolarPlaneSolarImpulse2

    The Technology Behind the


    Solar Plane Solar Impulse-2
    By Aniruddha Bhattacharjee Posted March 17, 2015
    In Solar Products, Solar Success Cases

    Flying on nothing but the energy generated by sunlight, the zero fuel
    solar plane, Solar Impulse-2, has just completed the second leg of its
    10-leg trip around the world.
    Taking off from Abu Dhabi (UAE) and ying to Ahmedabad, India via
    Muscat (Oman), the ultra-light aircraft is powered by 17,000 solar cells
    that generate electricity to run its four propellers.
    Excess energy is stored in four energy-dense lithium-ion battery
    packs, which enable Solar Impulse-2 to y through the night. Its 72m
    wingspan, by the way, is wider than the wingspan of the Boeing 747
    (68.5m), known to all you aviation enthusiasts at the Jumbo jet.

    http://abcofsolar.com/thetechnologybehindthesolarplanesolarimpulse2/

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    9/4/2016

    TheTechnologyBehindtheSolarPlaneSolarImpulse2

    Comparison: Solar Impulse-2 vs. Boeing 747


    Solar Impulse-2 weighs in at a featherweight 2.3 tons, and is designed
    to be highly efcient in ight, with its massive wings providing
    maximum lift with minimum drag (air resistance). Its battery packs sit
    behind its propellers, while the solar cells line the top of its wings.
    Piloted alternatingly by one of two highly experienced pilots
    Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg the single cockpit, single
    seat airplane consumes very low energy. However, its performance
    does come at a compromise on its airspeed, the top speed is only 100
    miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour).
    To put that in context, commercial airliners cruise at speeds in excess
    of 500 mph. For its journey to India, Solar Impulse-2 ew in at a
    leisurely 43 mph (70 kmph).
    Its predecessor, Solar Impulse-1, made a widely covered ight from
    Europe to North Africa and across mainland USA. Solar Impulse-2
    now takes it to the next step, and part of its journey will involve ying
    across the vast Pacic ocean.
    http://abcofsolar.com/thetechnologybehindthesolarplanesolarimpulse2/

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    9/4/2016

    TheTechnologyBehindtheSolarPlaneSolarImpulse2

    Solar Impulse-2: a window into our future


    While it may still just be a prototype, the aircraft is certainly a window
    into our future. It can y at an altitude of up to 9,000m. Thats higher
    than Mt. Everest, in case you didnt remember, and well within the
    ight altitude of commercial airliners.
    Solar Impulse-2s ight also implies that as solar cells become more
    efcient and battery packs capable of storing more energy, similar
    aircraft may be able to y much faster and possibly with much heavier
    payloads (for instance, carrying more people).
    The $150 million aircraft will now y to Varanasi, before crossing over
    into Myanmar and China.
    Interestingly, Andre Borschberghas already drawn up plans for the
    projects next iteration, Solar Impulse 3.0, which will be an unmanned
    drone capable of ying non-stop for 6 months.
    It just goes to show how quickly solar technology is progressing, and
    the kind of radical new applications we can expect in the future. Until
    then, you can follow Solar Impulse-2 live atwww.solarimpulse.com.

    READ ALSO:
    The Greatest Adventure Ever? Around the World in a Solar Plane
    Solar Impulse: the Solar Future of Flying
    Facebooks Solar Drones to Provide Universal High Speed Internet
    Access

    http://abcofsolar.com/thetechnologybehindthesolarplanesolarimpulse2/

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