Solar Impulse set to propel clean technology

History of aviation is being rewritten in our lifetime, as the Solar Impulse 2 project is getting closer to completing a world tour in an ultralight one-man aircraft intended to demonstrate how best technology
may provide solutions to combat global warming and advance aviation industry.
The sun-powered Solar Impulse 2 set off from New York’s JFK airport early Monday, embarking on the transatlantic leg of its record breaking flight around the world to promote renewable energy.
Piloted by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, the flight is expected to take about 90 hours during which Piccard will only take short naps before landing at Seville Airport, Spain. The voyage marks the first solo transatlantic crossing in a solar-powered airplane and is expected to last four consecutive days and nights, depending on weather.
The success of this journey will usher in another aviation revolution. It is setting a record that a plane can take off in the dark using solar energy stored in batteries.
The Solar Impulse 2 aircraft, set out on March 9, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, has flown across Asia and the Pacific to the United States with the sun as its only source of power.
“Solar Impulse is like a flying smart grid, and if we can make it work in an airplane, where we can’t cheat, we can make it work on the ground, in our cities, for our homes and for all applications,” Andre Borschberg, co-founder of Solar Impulse project and the co-pilot, said in a statement.
Solar Impulse 2, supported by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company, assumes more importance for the UAE, which is embracing future clean energies. The country was keen to attend the Solar Impulse 2 aircraft’ s departure on Monday from New York City at 2:30am Eastern Daylight Time for its daring journey across the Atlantic Ocean.
Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE Consul General in New York City, who attended the take-off from John F. Kennedy International Airport, said, “I am proud to have witnessed the take-off of Solar Impulse for its daring journey across the Atlantic Ocean as it makes its way back to Abu Dhabi to complete its round-the-world quest. With each new leg in this mission, the message of a successful partnership in innovation, between the Solar Impulse and its host city – Abu Dhabi rings louder across the globe.”
“The UAE leadership has long been committed to becoming a responsible global energy leader and a benchmark for sustainable development,” he said.
Solar Impulse 2 demonstrates that clean technologies can achieve impossible goals. It sends an unequivocal message that such alternative technologies could be used on the ground to halve the world’s energy consumption, save natural resources and improve our quality of life. This message is being spread by the pilots to the general public, students, key decision-makers and entrepreneurs all over the world.
In an inspirational comment, Bertrand Piccard said, “If an airplane has succeeded to fly day and night without fuel, then we can power our world on clean energy.” No message is louder than this. The duo set a tone for the world exactly like what the Wright Brothers did in the US on December 17, 1903.