With emissions from aviation been increased by 87 per cent since 1990 and air travel forecast fear to increase dramatically in the next 20 years, the situation will surely get worse if no immediate actions are taken.
So, with the concerns over the flying-triggered environmental damages increasing, this innovation seems to be a welcome development, besides retracing exploits in aviation history.
The Swiss round-the-world balloon pioneer Bertrand Piccard has come up with a solution to air pollution caused by flying — the ‘Solar Impulse.’ His prototype is a dainty plane powered by the sun!
The solar-powered plane has wings of the width of a giant Airbus.
If you are curious to view the virtual flights of the alternative energy-powered plane, you can soon follow it on the Internet. It is designed to replicate long-distance journeys through the existing, real weather conditions with the help of its high-tech but lightweight aircraft, which is slow-moving.
To get the Solar Impulse charged, it need to be exposure to the sun to its maximum during the daytime.
Piccard said,
We have no idea if the virtual flight will be a success or not. We’re dealing with real conditions, so it may be a failure. (But,) It’s a real opportunity to learn.
The keynote will be launched in May 2011 to circumnavigate the globe. Before that, the team of researchers developing it will for the first time try to cross the United States in a non-stop flight using its solar powered aircraft, including its first transatlantic flight.
Hope this prototype will one day be an alternative and effective solution to high-altitude air pollution.
