Solar Impulse 2, the aircraft attempting to circumnavigate the world fueled only by sun power, will be grounded in Hawaii until next April for battery repairs. On July 3, the plane completed the longest leg of its global flight – a record-breaking (non-stop, solo piloted) five-day, five-night journey from Nagoya, Japan, to Hawaii – during which its storage batteries overheated, sustaining “irreversible” damage, according to a statement from the team.

The route from Japan was piloted by Andre Borschberg. Following several days of essential repairs, it was planned for Betrand Piccard to command the next stage of the journey to Phoenix, Arizona. Maintenance checks indicated that the temperature of the batteries during quick ascents and descents in a tropical climate was “not properly anticipated.” The aircraft is now housed in a University of Hawaii hangar at the Kalaeloa airport on Oahu while repairs are made.hangar in Hawaii while the engineering team researches options for improved cooling and heating. The remainder of the journey has been suspended until 2016.

“The damage to the batteries is not a technical failure or a weakness in the technology,” the team said. “Setbacks are part of the challenges of a project which is pushing technological boundaries to the limits.”

Although Solar Impulse 2 has a wingspan larger than that of a Boeing 747, equipped with 17,000 solar cells that power its four electric motors – the aircraft only weighs about 5,000 pounds – as much as a minivan. The solar cells recharge lithium batteries that allow the plane to fly at night.

The battery problems were not the first project setback. Weather problems delayed the first leg of the Pacific flight, and after finally taking off from Nanjing, China, in May en route to Hawaii, the plane landed in Nagoya, Japan after high winds damaged a wing.

The Solar Impulse team said in a news release that there was no weakness with the technology, but the team didn’t anticipate temperature fluctuations associated with rapid altitude changes in a tropical climate. They will continue the attempt to circumvent the globe.

“Solar Impulse is attempting a historic first of flying around the world only on solar energy,” the pilots said in a statement. “And while Solar Impulse has completed eight legs, covering nearly half of the journey, setbacks are part of the challenges of a project which is pushing technological boundaries to the limits.”

The 13-leg journey started in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in early March. Stay connected to up-to-the-minute status at the Solar Impulse website (link here).

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Green Prophet was there in Abu Dhabi when Borschberg and his co-pilot Bertrand Piccard held their pre-flight press conference as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in January. On March 9, the experimental flying lab better known as Solar Impulse 2 took off from Abu Dhabi set to circumnavigate the world flying both day and night without using a single drop of fossil fuel. The flight should take about four months.

But where is their audience?

The Solar Impulse 2 website is remarkably interactive. There is data on every aspect of the flight, constantly updated.  See pilot information (below) detailing time since take-off, his current activity (resting, yoga, indulging in some self-hypnosis), and even a metric on how much food he’s burning through.

Click on tabs to bring up screens that imitate the cockpit controls (and track speed, altitude, heading and angle of bank); energy (see the energy chain from sun-to-solar generators through the batteries to and to the motors. Track sun or batteries energy generation versus aircraft energy consumption with time series data); and flight data for this specific leg and the overall journey.

Other features include live YouTube feeds from the Mission Control Center in Monaco and more astoundingly, from the cockpit, which offer us a real-time copilot vantage point, virtually riding along on this epic flight.

The latest feeds indicate that Borschberg is experiencing difficulty resting well due to some turbulence. Mission Control crew are continuously at his side, providing him with both human and technical support. Borschberg reported that on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being ‘not tired’ and 5 ‘very tired’, he would rate his current state a “2”, adding, “To succeed in this long duration flight we have to partner airplane and pilot. Energy for the airplane and good rest for me.’

[youtube]https://youtu.be/vEF_Na2hyZs[/youtube]

Solar Impulse climbs up to more than 8,000 meters during the day while charging its batteries, and then glides through the night, relying on electrical energy gathered during the previous day, until the sun comes back in the morning.

The batteries, where solar energy is stored during the day, have been powering the plane. They are at 95% of their maximum state of charge and their level should reduce to 85% in the next hour. Mission Control stated, “The moment of truth of the first night is getting closer: will André be able to reach the sun early enough before batteries are empty? Will #Si2 be able to climb up again and recommence the cycle by starting collecting solar energy again?”

That question turned me into a white-knuckle reader. I quickly checked back to the cockpit video, and see the sun is rising over the Pacific. Disaster averted!  But I notice that fewer than 5,000 other people are glued to the live drama. Where is the audience?

Aside from rigorously testing the new technologies that are making the flight possible, this solar circumnavigation is also a symbol of the cleaner future the team is working towards, a demonstration of how pioneering spirit, innovation and clean technologies can change the world.

Everyone is encouraged to take part, by interacting with their website, and by signing up to their #paperplane campaign to keep the #futureisclean message flying around the world. Additionally, we are invited to send messages to show world leaders how we care about clean tech solutions, messages which will be taken to the United Nations Climate Conference (COP21) in Paris in December.

Find more information and track progress on the Solar Impulse 2 website – link here. Let’s all be the audience for the remaining five legs of this journey.

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Mission Control for the Solar Impulse 2 is open for business, ready to guide the solar plane’s first flight around the world.  Located in Monaco, the Mission Control Center (MCC) serves as project nerve-center, where a team of analysts and engineers will collect satellite-transmitted flight information to calculate and adjust the plane’s flight path.  The plane will take off from Abu Dhabi in early March. See it soar over the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in our lead image.

“The crew here will act collectively as our guardian angel. We will be in continuous contact with them from the cockpit, and they will tell us what we need to know to make the right decisions,” Piccard said at the MCC launch. Twenty engineers and specialists, including Swiss astronaut Claude Nicollier, will monitor the flight on computers and video screens.

Prince Albert of Monaco, whose foundation helped finance the MCC, said in his speech at the event, “This historic circumnavigation using only solar energy will be a dream come true. The flight will demonstrate that science can change the world.”

Take a virtual tour of the MCC:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/1NCPQEQhJa4[/youtube]

Copilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg will take turns flying the single-seat plane.  The 22,000 mile journey is underpinned by dozens of new technologies born from the efforts of an army of technical partners involved since project start. The team embraced a clear project philosophy which informed all aspects of design: improve efficiency, reduce resource consumption, promote and provide cleaner, sustainable transportation solutions and expand the use of renewable energies.

Many of the discoveries resulting from Solar Impulse 2 have already found non-aeronautical applications in improved insulation for homes and home appliances, solvent-free fabric manufacture, decreased car body weights, and new storage solutions for solar-generated energy.

Slated for take off early next month, the exact date is highly dependent on weather conditions and not yet announced. The trip will span 25 flight days over a total of 5 months, landing in 12 different locations including Oman, India, China and the USA. Stopovers in Europe and North Africa are also planned, before the flight concludes in Abu Dhabi.

The emissions-free Solar Impulse 2 is not the first solar airplane,  but is the most energy-efficient and the first  to fly for five consecutive days and nights using only daytime-generated solar power, drawing on stored reserves for night.

The pilots point out that powerful educational and political mandates will be virtual passengers on the trip. Green Prophet previously reported that on-board cameras will enable the entire flight to be broadcast live on the Solar Impulse 2 website. An online survey will invite the world to send urgent messages to leaders and governments pressuring for sustainable policies and investment. In December, the pilots will bring the results of that survey to the 21st session of the COP climate talks in Paris.

“Many governments say we need more R&D, we need to wait, before we have renewable energies in their country. Forget that, we have today enough energy efficiency technologies to half world consumption, and renewable technologies that can provide the rest,” said Piccard at a press event during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week last January.

“We want youth, leaders, organizations and policymakers to understand that what Solar Impulse can achieve in the air, everyone can accomplish here on the ground in their everyday lives. Renewable energy can become an integral part of our lives, and together, we can help save our planet’s natural resources,” said Piccard.

Track the Solar Impulse 2 website for up-to-the-minute news on their departure flight from Abu Dhabi (link here).

Image of Solar Impulse 2 flying over the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi from Masdar/APCO Worldwide

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The experimental flying lab better known as Solar Impulse 2 was launched today in Abu Dhabi.  The groundbreaking airplane will circumnavigate the world flying both day and night without using a single drop of fossil fuel.  Said co-pilot Betrand Piccard, “You can achieve miracles with renewable energy and clean technologies.”

Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg (pictured left and right, above) announced that their game-shifting flight will begin in late February (weather-dependent) and return to the UAE capital about four months later.  Which pilot flies first will be settled by a coin toss.

Abu Dhabi was selected as the best departure point due to its climate, infrastructure, and commitment to clean technology.  The Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company,  more commonly known as Masdar, is providing logistical support – shipping the plane from Switzerland to the UAE – as well as supporting flight launch and landing events.

Piccard told the audience, “We aim to achieve what no one has even dared to try”, explaining that the project has no predecessors from which to cull designs or glean lessons learned.  “This is to prove that the impossible is possible,” he added.

This plane has a 72-meter wingspan (similar to a Boeing 747) and is made of innovative technologies that maximize functionality while reducing weight: at 2,300 kg, it weighs as much as a family car.

An array of technical partners have been involved since project inception, including Google, Belgian chemical company Solway, power and automation giant ABB, Bayer Material Science, elevator-escalator experts Schindler, Swiss Re,  Altran and others listed on the Solar Impulse website. Their collective research and innovative product development has already found non-aeronautical applications in improved insulation for homes and home appliances, solvent-free fabric manufacture, lightweighting of automotive vehicles, and new battery storage solutions for solar-generated energy.

The pilots described their route which includes stops in 12 countries flying eastward from Abu Dhabi and entails continuous flights across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  The plane will descend to 9,000 feet during night travel to minimize energy use, which in turn influences their flight path, requiring that they avoid highly mountainous terrain.

Geopolitics also plays a role in route planning.  Piccard recalled that, 16 years ago when he circumnavigated the world in a hot air balloon, all countries in the Middle East were potential landing points. Civil war, radicalism and unrest in the modern Middle East means that today, during their Mediterranean crossing, few nations are safe for landing and for hosting associated media events.  So they presently plan to fly from Spain or Morocco across Saudi Arabia on their return to the United Arab Emirates.

Pilots will alternate after each estimated 20-hour leg, stopping for plane maintenance and to alternate positions in the cockpit.  Each stop will be coordinated with site events focused on education and public engagement. Human capability will be as tested as technology. Equipped with bespoke flight suits that monitor vital signs, protect from cold temperatures, and act as wearable toilets, it remains to be seen whether the men will be able to endure long periods of wakefulness and maintain alertness.

One reporter asked if the pilots were afraid of the risks.  Piccard tossed back, “I’m more afraid to live in a world that burns one billion tons of oil every hour that destroys the planet and pollutes the environment, than to fly solar-powered planes.”

Another reporter asked if Piccard was aware that a Star Trek character, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, shared his name.  The pilot replied that the fictional character was in fact named after his grandfather’s twin brother, Jean Felix Piccard, a pioneer of early ballooning. This man is genetically wired for this expedition.

Solar Impulse 2 has over 17,000 solar cells embedded on its wings which power four 17.4hp electric motors. The cells also charge lithium batteries which will allow for continuous night flight. An earlier prototype of the solar plane successfully completed the first night flight in 2010.

The plane is equipped with five cameras allowing the entire flight to be broadcast live on the Solar Impulse 2 website. The project aims to be interactive and incite support and raised awareness of the need to wean the planet off fossil fuels. An online survey will launch soon, inviting the world to send urgent messages to their leaders and governments pressuring for sustainable policies and investment. In December, the pilots will bring the  results of that survey to the 21st session of the COP climate talks in Paris.

“Many governments say we need more R&D, we need to wait, before we have renewable energies in their country. Forget that, we have today enough energy efficiency technologies to halve the consumption of the world, and renewable technologies that can provide the rest,” said Piccard.

Find more information and track progress on the Solar Impulse 2 website – link here.

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

“It’s a country that fits with our message,” added Piccard, “…an oil-producing country that invests a lot for renewable energy knowing that oil will not be forever. We don’t fight against oil — we just show that we can diversify and be more energy-efficient.”

The pair believes that oil should be used to produce new materials, not power transportation. To that end, a team of 80 technological partners spent over a decade developing new products to support the mission to prove the potential of clean energy. Masdar, the United Arab Emirates-owned renewable energy company is part of the mostly Swiss development crew.

Collaboration fostered creation of systems with far-reaching application: electrolytes that permit increased energy density on batteries, the lightest carbon fibers ever manufactured, and super thin insulation that allows refrigerators to have more internal space. The team is working to produce oxygen with solar energy (not yet available for this flight), and NASA helped create a product that makes urine drinkable. The plane itself could someday be deployed as a satellite replacement – a sustainable high-altitude, unmanned research platform outfitted with cameras, communication technology or scientific research equipment.

The 2-seat plane consists of a carbon-fiber and honeycomb sandwich frame; its 72 meter wingspan (longer than a Boeing 747!) holds 17,200 monocrystalline silicon solar cells that supply four electric 17.5 CV motors with enough stored energy to power the plane through the night.  During daylight, the 2.3 ton plane ascends to 8,500 meters and descends to 1,500 meters at night to reduce energy consumption. The pilots expect 94% total efficiency flying between 36 km/h at sea level and 140 km/h at maximum altitude.

During their trip across the USA, the pilots flew up to 24 hours without stopping. Their world tour will need constant flight for up to 120 continuous hours due to ocean crossings; the men will trade-off shifts at the controls to stave off exhaustion. Pilots will use yoga, meditation and self-hypnosis to rest or stay alert as needed; techniques that include sleeping for no more than 20 minutes at a time a dozen times throughout the day. Medical specialists devised a personalized nutrition plan for each man and will offer support before and during the flight.

The trip will take about 25 days of flying over a period of four to five months, with stops in Asia, the USA and Southern Europe or North Africa before returning to Abu Dhabi, landing every five days to so that the pilots can switch places. Theoretically, the plane can fly forever through day and night due to its complex system of solar cells and lithium batteries.

The 3.8 cubic meter single-seat cockpit is unheated and unpressurized. It will contain oxygen supplies, food and survival equipment including parachutes and a life raft.  Seats double as reclining berths and toilets. High-density, thermal insulation in the cockpit and specially engineered flight suits will protect the men from extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to +40°C. Learn more about the project in the video clip, below.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/azXbqnTqwFA[/youtube]

“Our goal is to show that it is now possible to achieve things considered impossible without fossil fuels,” says Piccard. “In today’s world we have to cultivate the pioneering spirit to liberate oneself from those certainties and habits that hold us prisoner to old ways of doing and thinking.”

Track their progress on the Solar Impulse 2 blog – link here.

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