
Can a solar powered plane make it around the entire Earth?Thats what two Swiss pilots are finding out at the moment and its all in the name of renewable energy.
Andr Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard are the two pilots flying the groundbreaking Solar Impulse 2 plane around the world. It uses 17,000 solar cells to power itself by nothing other than the Sun, with this electricitybeing used to power propellers.
This all comes at a bit of a cost, though. Solar cells are not yet very efficient, so the plane has a rather modest top speed of 138 km/h (86 mph). And as for the pilots, they must do without many comforts as they fly for up to five days alone at a time.
The plane recently completed the ninth leg of its round-the-world trip from Hawaii to California after a nine-month delay, with the ...
Read More