“Solar” Plane

The idea of generating energy from solar panels is widely known and is being steadily adopted by many developed countries and major companies. Thanks to the active rollout of this technology, we already have solar-powered watches, solar-powered lights, umbrellas, and various types of furniture with solar panels built in.

But one of the “breakthroughs” in the use of solar energy was Solar Impulse—the first aircraft powered entirely by solar energy. It was first unveiled back in 2009 by its creator, Bertrand Piccard.
With a wingspan of about 30 meters and a weight of up to 500 kg, it can reach an airspeed of 44 miles per hour.



In 2016, the new Solar Impulse 2 made history as the first solar-powered aircraft to complete a round-the-world flight.



And this year, the latest “solar” aircraft, created by Calin Gologan, SolarStratos, made its maiden flight.



SolarStratos was originally designed to climb to an altitude of up to 25,000 meters, where the boundary between outer space and the atmosphere lies, and this stratospheric flight is scheduled for next year. If the tests go well, this could perhaps spur the development of high-altitude solar-powered electric aviation. A new step into the future.