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THIS PLANE FLIES 40,000 KM AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF FUEL!

7 min read

Sustainable Planet
THIS PLANE FLIES 40,000 KM AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF FUEL!
Source: SolarImpulse.com

Solar panels make it possible for the plane to fly day and night without refuelling, crossing 2 oceans and remaining airborne longer than any jet plane in history.

Solar Impulse: 40’000 km without fuel, a world first for energy

When Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg succeeded in flying 40,000km (24,850 miles) around the world in a solar-powered airplane without using a drop of fuel in 2016, it was an historic first and sent a clear message across the world: that clean technologies can do more than we ever thought possible, reducing our energy consumption, protect natural resources and improve the quality of life on Earth.

SOLAR IMPULSE: THE PLANE THAT FLIES AROUND THE WORLD WITHOUT A DROP OF FUEL! “We really believe that we can achieve impossible and incredible things with renewable energy. Like flying around the world with no fuel”. — Bertrand Piccard, Chairman, Solar Impulse Foundation. Source: Facebook/BrightVibes

A zero-fuel airplane of unlimited endurance that’s able to fly around the world

In 2015 Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg embarked on the first solar flight around the world. Solar panels made it possible for the plane to cross 2 oceans and remain airborne longer than any jet plane in history. 

In 2016, it completed the epic 40,000 kilometre journey around the world without a single drop of fossil fuel.

This airplane was not built to carry passengers but to carry a message: the world can reduce half of its CO2 emissions by replacing outdate pollution-producing technologies with new, clean innovations like those used on Solar Impulse.

Check out 10 of the most breathtaking photos from the first ever round-the-world solar flight.

Source: SolarImpulse.com

Taking off for the first round-the-world solar flight with a beautiful sunrise over the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. With the whole adventure ahead of us, I’m not sure we realised we were entering the unknown…
1. The beginning of the Round-the-World solar flight Taking off for the first round-the-world solar flight with a beautiful sunrise over the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. With the whole adventure ahead of us, I’m not sure we realised we were entering the unknown… Source: SolarImpulse.com
The Pacific Crossing in 2015 from Japan to Hawaii was the biggest challenge we had encountered. There was a tricky weather window to cross the Pacific Ocean and we even had to perform an emergency landing in Nagoya, Japan. It took the Solar Impulse engineers a total of two months to find a window that would allow us to cross the Pacific safely. This takeoff brought suspense - attempting the longest and most humanly challenging flight yet.
2. The ultimate takeoff over the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Crossing in 2015 from Japan to Hawaii was the biggest challenge we had encountered. There was a tricky weather window to cross the Pacific Ocean and we even had to perform an emergency landing in Nagoya, Japan. It took the Solar Impulse engineers a total of two months to find a window that would allow us to cross the Pacific safely. This takeoff brought suspense – attempting the longest and most humanly challenging flight yet. Source: SolarImpulse.com
After a tense 5 days and 5 nights flying over the Pacific Ocean and crossing two cold fronts, André Borschberg was finally spotted on the Hawaiian Coast. The emotion this image provokes for us is incredible, knowing that Solar Impulse 2 had just proved perpetual endurance - day and night without a single drop of fuel.
3. Landing in Hawaii after 5 days and 5 nights across the Pacific Ocean After a tense 5 days and 5 nights flying over the Pacific Ocean and crossing two cold fronts, André Borschberg was finally spotted on the Hawaiian Coast. The emotion this image provokes for us is incredible, knowing that Solar Impulse 2 had just proved perpetual endurance – day and night without a single drop of fuel. Source: SolarImpulse.com
After a nine month break used to replace Si2’s batteries in Hawaii, we started our flight across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to San Francisco. Resuming the solar flights of 2016 that will attempt to finish circumnavigating the globe with solar power.
4. Resuming the Mission in 2016 After a nine month break used to replace Si2’s batteries in Hawaii, we started our flight across the Pacific Ocean from Hawaii to San Francisco. Resuming the solar flights of 2016 that will attempt to finish circumnavigating the globe with solar power. Source: SolarImpulse.com
After 60 hours of flight, Bertrand Piccard flew over the Golden Gate Bridge before landing in Moffett Airfield, California. A breath-taking flight to finish Bertand Piccard’s longest flight with Si2.
5. The Golden Flyover After 60 hours of flight, Bertrand Piccard flew over the Golden Gate Bridge before landing in Moffett Airfield, California. A breath-taking flight to finish Bertand Piccard’s longest flight with Si2. Source: SolarImpulse.com
To wrap up the flights across the Unites States, André Borschberg reached New York City on June 11th for a flyover of the Statue of Liberty - bringing clean technology to the Big Apple.
6. Flying over the Statue of Liberty To wrap up the flights across the Unites States, André Borschberg reached New York City on June 11th for a flyover of the Statue of Liberty – bringing clean technology to the Big Apple. Source: SolarImpulse.com
Bertrand Piccard takes an extreme, epic selfie on his second day crossing the Atlantic Ocean.
7. Bertrand Piccard’s selfie after 2 days crossing the Atlantic Ocean Bertrand Piccard takes an extreme, epic selfie on his second day crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Source: SolarImpulse.com
A warm and colorful welcome in Europe after a 72 hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The Patrulla Aguila heard that Solar Impulse was coming and decided to organize a flyby before Si2 landed in Seville, Spain. A sight we have never seen before.
8. Landing in Europe A warm and colorful welcome in Europe after a 72 hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The Patrulla Aguila heard that Solar Impulse was coming and decided to organize a flyby before Si2 landed in Seville, Spain. A sight we have never seen before. Source: SolarImpulse.com
Before Si2 left Europe, André couldn’t help but do a flyover of the GemaSolar Thermosolar power plant. The first power plant to produce energy day and night meets the first airplane to fly day and night.
9. Flyover of the first solar power plant to produce energy day and night Before Si2 left Europe, André couldn’t help but do a flyover of the GemaSolar Thermosolar power plant. The first power plant to produce energy day and night meets the first airplane to fly day and night. Source: SolarImpulse.com
Before landing in Cairo, the penultimate landing on the round-the-world adventure, André completed a flyover of the ancient Egyptian Pyramids, showing how groundbreaking inventions can remain forever.
10. The ancient world meets the new world with clean technology Before landing in Cairo, the penultimate landing on the round-the-world adventure, André completed a flyover of the ancient Egyptian Pyramids, showing how groundbreaking inventions can remain forever. Source: SolarImpulse.com

Let’s run the world with clean technologies

Solar Impulse is not the first solar airplane, but it is the first to fly day and night, without any fuel, only using energy stored in its batteries. 

It is also the first to have crossed oceans:

  • 5 days and nights from Nagoya, Japan, to Kalaeloa, Hawaii
  • 3 days and 2 nights from Kalaeloa to San Francisco
  • 3 days and nights from New York to Seville, Spain.

Behind Solar Impulse’s achievements, there is always the same goal: show that if an airplane can fly several days and nights in a row with no fuel, then clean technologies can be used on the ground to reduce our energy consumption, and create profit and jobs.

The three record-breaking solo flights of André Borschberg from Nagoya to Hawaii and Bertrand Piccard from Hawaii to San Francisco and later New York to Seville give a clear message: everybody could use the same technologies on the ground to halve our world’s energy consumption, save natural resources and improve our quality of life.

A bold challenge and an meaningful adventure around the world to encourage people to protect our quality of life by using energy efficiency and renewable energies. Travelling across land and ocean, to inspire the public, students, entrepreneurs and political leaders. Let’s spread the #futureisclean message.

Source: SolarImpulse.com

One Minute To Feel The Change with Bertrand Piccard: Time to change Our society, our economy and our civilization are at a crossroads. For Bertrand Piccard, Pilot, Solar Impulse Foundation President, UN Goodwill Ambassador, it is time to change. Source: YouTube/BNP-Paribas

A NEW CHALLENGE #1000 SOLUTIONS: To help decision-makers adopt more ambitious energy policies

The Round-The-World Solar Flight was only the first phase in the realisation of Bertrand Piccard’s vision. 

The Solar Impulse Foundation —through the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions — has launched the second phase of its action It has already set off to tackle a new challenge: selecting #1000SOLUTIONS that can protect the environment in a profitable way. Bertrand will then go around the world again to deliver these solutions to governments, corporations and institutions to help them achieve their environmental targets by adopting more ambitious energy policies.

“We need to embrace clean technologies and efficient solutions, because they are much more than ‘ecological’ , they are ‘logical’. They create jobs and generate profit, while also reducing CO2 emissions and preserving natural resources. Even if climate change didn’t exist, they would make sense. Clean growth is much better than the dirty status quo we have today." — BERTRAND PICCARD

Source: SolarImpulse.com

Bertrand Piccard at TEDGlobal 2009|My solar-powered adventure “When I was flying around the world in my solar airplane, I remember looking at the sun that was giving energy to my four electric motors and their huge propellers. There was no noise, no pollution, no fuel… and I could fly forever. At a certain moment I thought ‘this is science fiction, I’m in the future.’ And then I realised, ‘no, it’s wrong, I’m in the present; this is what the technologies of today already allow me to do. It’s the rest of the world that is in the past, with old and inefficient devices’.” — BERTRAND PICCARD Source: TED-Talks
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#futureisclean: Concrete solutions for a clean future

Join Bertrand Piccard’s approach to show that climate change is not an expensive problem requiring heavy financial and behavioral sacrifices, but rather a unique opportunity for profit and job creation: See the top 5 solutions, find out more about #futureisclean