MAY 05

The last barrier to greener transportation is up in the air and if these newly designed planes can get up there, the future of air travel may look decidedly different. While cars have been going green for decades, airplanes have remained behemoth fuel-gulping modes of transportation. EcoGeek put together a list of ways in which air travel is gretting greener...but there's a long ways to go.

That's bad news for anyone who has to travel for business reasons or can't resist that get-away to exotic locales. But while nowhere close to being ready for commercial use, there is some green in the distant horizon. A French and a Swiss company are both vying to complete the first viable solar-powered plane.

The Solar Impulse Project, which we've discussed previously is backed by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, is aiming to use only solar energy to keep its aircraft up both day and night.  The Solar Impulse plane, which hopes to be about 1,500 kilogram of "take-off weight" is constructed around a skeleton of carbon fiber-honeycomb composite.

French company Lisa Airplanes is putting its efforts into the "Hy-Bird" project which plans to fly around the world with a 100 per cent clean electric airplane powered only by solar energy and hydrogen. For take-off, the Hy-Bird will use solar photovoltaic cells affixed on the wings and on the horizontal tail and for on-board power supply. A fuel cell will then fuel the aircraft for cruise flight and an electric engine will propel the plane.

Booking a seat on board won't happen any time soon. Both Hy-Bird and the Solar Impulse Project hope to take trial flights next year, but only one person will be on board. Meanwhile, unmanned solar airplanes are already in the air, with one that will be able to fly almost indefinitely planned for the near future.

Via Inhabitat

Comments (9)

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Comment from Azrul Support Team
written by Syahzul, May 05, 2008

Comment from Azrul Support Team. You can delete this comment.

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Planes need energy dense fuel
written by BBM, May 05, 2008

Probably the best hope for air travel is the use of some renewable liquid fuel (eg some type of biofuel, or coal gasification with CO2 capture etc).

No way a 7E7 (or anything other than an ultralight) will ever run on solar power).

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good luck
written by Andy, May 06, 2008

Um, if by greening cars for decades you mean no change in fuel economy standards...?

I hate to break it to everyone, but the era of traveling more than 30mph will be coming to an end this century. I don't plan on or expect to be flying anywhere in 10 years with the peak oil issues.

Of all the alternative energies out there, the best measure is always conservation. Exactly why many people looking into photovoltaics end up using 10% the energy as a regular grid user - you won't see flying as a sustainable option for travel ever. The amount of energy needed to take off pretty much negates the use of flying as a sustainable option. If you plan on putting hundreds of people in a plane and rising to 35,000ft on solar cells, you might want to get out of the techno-fix mindset and read about some permaculture instead.

As a hang glider, I greatly enjoy flight, especially unpowered, but flying as a means of travel is coming to an end as prices of fuel continue to rise.

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BBM is right, Big Planes need energy den
written by David, May 07, 2008

BBM is right on the money on all accounts. Why hasn't one of the airlines secured their own future supplies of cheap, cleaner-burning, "made in USA" fuel?
They could buy a mid-sized biodiesel and synthetic diesel company, maybe like a Synthroleum, and produce their own fuel for about $1.00 or so less per gallon than they are paying now, and not be subject to such dramaticly increasing costs.

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...
written by Campbell, May 08, 2008

Turtle Airships has been pursuing SOLAR FLIGHT for several years. No airplane can hold enough solar cells to provide reasonable alternative power to current engines; airships can.

NOT BLIMPS! Instead, a solid, rigid, geodesic hull. This provides enough strength to hold huge array of solar cells, and enough strength to withstand higher stresses caused by HIGH SPEEDS....200MPH.

300 passenger, global unlimited range, no airport runway needed, solar powered, 200 mph.

airships are the future of flight.

turtleairships.blogspot.com

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how about solar airships?
written by John Rudmin, May 12, 2008

Using the Sun to hold something aloft by power mechanisms (i.e. airplanes) seems a bit daunting. I suppose it could have an immense wing surface area, all covered by solar cells. But what about flying through clouds? You would need to store energy, and batteries are heavy.

Instead, how about returning to the age of airships, held aloft by buoyancy? Thus, any limits in solar power would only limit the speed at which it could travel. Improvements in efficiency would lead to increases in speed with time.

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solar hang gliders
written by yoda, May 17, 2008

sell me the solar panels
and the electric motor
so i can strap them on my hang glider

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Aeronautical
written by Zainu Abdeen, December 04, 2008

Hello,I am zain,I am an Aeronautical Engineer,2nd year,I am also having the plan of making electrical powered motor flight.If I hav any doubts ,i want to contact u. pls send ur e-mail ID.

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...
written by wedding dresses, October 13, 2009

That's bad news for anyone who has to travel for business reasons or can't resist that get-away to exotic locales.

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