Source: BBC
As fuel costs spiral, powering aircraft with sunlight might seem like an attractive option. But is a solar powered plane feasible?
It is easy to see the appeal of a solar-powered aircraft. Next time you are aboard a plane, try to get a window seat. As you taxi out for takeoff, look at the amount of light hitting the plane’s wings. In perfect flying conditions, the polished metal surface will brilliantly reflect the sun.
Then, as you are pushed back into your seat when the aircraft accelerates along the runway, perhaps the sun will catch a wing edge, suddenly illuminating the cabin.
Once the aircraft climbs through the clouds, the seatbelt sign pings off and the light can rapidly become piercing. The wings and fuselage are often bathed in constant sunlight at these higher altitudes during the daytime, prompting passengers to shield their eyes and pull down their window blinds.
In these kinds of conditions, flying by the sun could seem a relatively easy proposition – cover the plane in solar panels and you will have an aircraft that taps this free, limitless and clean energy source that abounds at altitude.
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