Globe-spanning solar flight to start, end in Abu Dhabi

[Buster's Uncle]

Abu Dhabi to Host First Solar-Powered Flight Around World
LiveScience.com
By Tanya Lewis, Staff Writer  51 minutes ago



The Solar Impulse 2, a fully solar-powered aircraft, is scheduled to set off on a round-the-world journey from Abu Dhabi in March 2014.



The first solar-powered flight around the world will take off from and touch down in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced today (Sept. 25).

In March 2015, pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg plan to make the round-the-world journey in the Solar Impulse 2, an aircraft that runs exclusively on power from the sun.

The announcement of the host city was made in New York City, at the United Arab Emirates reception during the United Nations General Assembly.

"We have chosen [Abu Dhabi] as being the best and most suitable departure point for the round-the-world tour, due to its climate, infrastructure and commitment to clean technologies," Borschberg, Solar Impulse co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.

Abu Dhabi's renewable energy company Masdar will partner with the city to host the Solar Impulse team beginning in January, when the crew will test the aircraft prior to its historic trip.

In 2013, Borschberg and Piccard flew their first solar-powered plane, the Solar Impulse, on five legs of a cross-country flight from California to New York. The aircraft was powered entirely by sunlight, and carried batteries that could be charged during the day, which enabled the pilots to fly the plane at night.

The Solar Impulse 2 (SI2) is a newer version of the original aircraft, with a wingspan that measures 236 feet (72 meters) — wider than a Boeing 747. The SI2 carries 17,000 solar cells, allowing it to fly almost indefinitely without fuel. The aircraft weighs just 5,070 pounds (2,300 kilograms), less than a Toyota Tundra pickup truck, according to company officials.

Borschberg and Piccard unveiled the new aircraft in April, and completed their first test flight in June. Their round-the-world trip next March is expected to include 25 days of flying over the course of four to five months. The pilots will live aboard the plane for five to six days at a time during some flights over the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

The team is still working out details of the trip, but the company has revealed plans to stop over in Asia, the United States and Southern Europe or North Africa before returning to Abu Dhabi in July 2015.


http://news.yahoo.com/abu-dhabi-host-first-solar-powered-flight-around-214228576.html

[Buster's Uncle]

Global solar flight to start, end in Abu Dhabi
Associated Press
By ADAM SCHRECK  7 hours ago



In this Monday, April 14, 2014 file photo, people stand around the new experimental aircraft "Solar Impulse 2" during the first exit for solar generator tests at the airbase in Payerne, Switzerland. Clean-energy company Masdar said Thursday that the Solar Impulse 2 plane will attempt its historic journey in March from the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Project founders Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg hope to complete the journey over four or five months, including stopovers. (AP Photo/Keystone, Laurent Gillieron, File)



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Swiss-made solar-powered aircraft will start and attempt to finish its first round-the-world flight from the United Arab Emirates capital of Abu Dhabi, a government-backed renewable energy company in the oil-rich Gulf federation said Thursday.

The choice of Abu Dhabi as the launch site for the historic journey is likely to bolster the wealthy emirate's efforts to position itself as a champion of renewable energy. It controls the bulk of the vast petroleum reserves in the Emirates, a seven-state federation that ranks among the largest oil exporters in OPEC.

Masdar, the Abu Dhabi government's clean-energy company, said the Solar Impulse 2 plane will attempt its historic journey in March.

Project founders Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg hope to complete the journey over four or five months, including stopovers in Asia, North America and either Europe or North Africa.

Some legs of the trip, such as over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, could involve five or six straight days of flying.

"We have chosen this location as being the best and most suitable departure and return point for the round-the-world tour, due to its climate, infrastructure and commitment to clean technologies," Borschberg said in a statement.



In this Monday, June 2, 2014 file photo, German test pilot Markus Scherdel steers the solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft for its maiden flight at its base in Payerne, Switzerland. Clean-energy company Masdar said Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014 that the Solar Impulse 2 plane will attempt its historic journey in March from the Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Project founders Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg hope to complete the journey over four or five months, including stopovers. (AP Photo/Denis Balibouse,Pool, File)


The project team will arrive in Abu Dhabi in January and spend two months training and testing with Masdar before takeoff, the Emirati company said. It hopes the plane's stay will boost young Emiratis' interest in fields such as aeronautics and renewable energy.

The Solar Impulse 2 was unveiled in April and is a larger version of a single-seat prototype that first flew five years ago. The founders say the plane in theory can stay airborne indefinitely by soaking up sunlight using some 17,200 solar cells arrayed on wings that span 72 meters (236 feet).

It made a 2 hour and 17 minute inaugural flight above western Switzerland in June.

Abu Dhabi has pumped billions of dollars into low-carbon energy initiatives in recent years and is trying to reduce the share of its electricity supply that comes from fossil fuels, primarily by developing solar and nuclear power projects. The city is home to the International Renewable Energy Agency, and its Masdar project is developing what aims to be an environmentally sustainable model city in the desert.


http://news.yahoo.com/global-solar-flight-start-end-abu-dhabi-095701126.html