Solar powered aircraft. Solar powered aircraft is real

The project to create an aircraft that uses only the energy of the sun for its Solar Impulse movement was invented back in the mid-2000s. First aircraft of this kind was introduced in 2009. Its wingspan was 63.40 m, its weight was 1600 kg, and the mass of solar panels was 400 kg. He managed to set two absolute records: in flight altitude (8700 m) and in duration (26 hours). On March 9, 2015 at trip around the world went Solar Impulse 2 - even more, even more powerful.

Solar Impulse 2 is a solar-powered aircraft with wingspan of 72 m. This is more than Boeing scope 747-8I (68.5 m) or slightly smaller than the span of the largest passenger airliner Airbus A380 (79.75 m). Unlike these aircraft, Solar Impulse 2 can only carry one pilot. But due to the fact that his cabin (from the last time) was re-equipped and his chair is now more comfortable, and even unfolds, he can sleep right on board during the flight. The pilot is sleeping - the plane is flying!

On the huge wings of the machine are placed 269 square meters of solar panels (about 17 thousand) with a total weight of 633 kg, which is about a quarter of the total weight of the aircraft - 2300 kg. Such a small mass was achieved due to the source material - hydrocarbon fiber. This flying battery develops a low speed - from 36 to 140 km / h. During the day, it accumulates solar energy, and at night it flies at the altitude gained, using four electric motors. The cabin equipment allows it to climb to an altitude of 12,000 m, but the actual flight altitude will be 8,500 m.

This year Solar Impulse 2 will travel around the world. The whole route is divided into 12 sections with landings. Departing on March 9, 2015 at 7.12 local time from Abu Dhabi, the plane has already landed at its first point - Muscat, Oman, thus covering 400 km, the shortest segment on the route. And tonight he covered 1500 km from Arabian Peninsula to the second stop - Ahmedabad, India. It took him 16 hours to do this. Then the route looks like this: Varanasi (India), Mandalay (Myanmar), Chongqing (China), Nanjing (China), Hawaii (USA), Phoenix (USA), New York (USA). After that, either home to Europe, or to North Africa. The flight from China to Hawaii will be one of the most difficult and will require a flight without landing for 120 hours. This will be a new record. The aircraft has two relief pilots, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. The success of the action, of course, is not guaranteed, but any results will be useful for the improvement of aircraft of all stripes.

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Nowadays, scientists do not forget to mention at least once a month that oil is running out, gas is running out, atomic energy is dangerous, and in general, in two hundred years, humanity will switch to world economy and production will stop without fuel. In contrast to this, in the means mass media many articles on the development of air, water, animal and human waste technologies and other different options. Some of them look like science fiction, others have real technical developments and are already being used with might and main, such as solar energy.

solar energy

We are used to the fact that our beloved luminary gives us warmth and light, helps us grow crops, heats water in lakes, rivers and seas. But, in addition to this, the energy of the sun's rays can be used in other ways. A few decades ago, solar-powered calculators appeared on the market. Now this will surprise no one. Eat finished projects: the first houses have already been built on them, which are heated by solar energy and are operated in Russia in winter conditions. The project provides for backup heating, as in our area the sun can cover with clouds for a long time.

Every inhabitant can buy solar panels, only the price bites very much. In addition, it is cheaper to get energy and heat in the usual way. However, in the absence of conventional energy sources, for example, in distant expeditions or in space, solar panels are the main ones. In Europe, private sector residents place them on the roofs of their own houses and sell surplus electricity to their own state. But Germany is not the most sunny country. The advantage of solar energy is that it is renewable. Although scientists say that the Sun will not always shine, but, compared to human life, our luminary is forever.

Solar powered aircraft

In our time, such an aircraft was built. It may not be very fast and maneuverable, but its fuel costs nothing, there are no harmful emissions. located on all surfaces of the wings and the hull itself. On a test flight, the aircraft covered 1,541 km from Phoenix to Dallas. Max Height was 8200 meters, and average speed- 84 km / h.

The plane was not piloted by one of its creators, Andre Borscherg. This flight is one of his next records, he previously made a journey of 26 hours on the same plane called Solar Impulse. Now the tester is actively making plans to cross the whole of America, and then make a round-the-world flight.

The entire team that created the vessel and prepared it for operation is trying to do everything possible so that its work is covered as much as possible in the media. After all, the main task of such events is to show the whole world that the energy of sunlight has great prospects and can be used to the maximum by a person.

History of creation

Solar Impulse is a glider with a wingspan of 63.4 meters, its mass is 1.5 tons, it has four electric motors with a total power of 7 kilowatts. It is envisaged that the illumination of solar panels may be uneven. More than four hundred kg is accounted for by lithium batteries, which are charged in the parking lot. Any old aircraft solar panels flew only due to recharging from the sun, the batteries, if any, were small.

Solar Impulse 2 has now been created, it is much larger than its predecessor, has more solar cells - as many as 17 thousand. Wingspan - more than 70 meters. It was made from carbon fiber to reduce weight. However, it weighs 2.3 tons. Thanks to powerful batteries, it can fly for several days and nights at speeds of 50 to 100 km/h.

Prospects for solar fuel

There are a huge number of examples of the use of solar energy. The simplest one was shown in the Soviet film "3 + 2", where the doctor of physical sciences laid out mirrors in an umbrella and heated food in a bowler hat with reflected light. Now science is developing a technology for the use of thermal insulation, which has a surface that receives solar energy.

Plants for drying agricultural crops and heating houses are already being produced and operating using the same technology. In order not to make them too large in area, grooves are made in the surface of the heaters, which increase the area of the material that receives solar energy.

In the regions of our planet, where severe winters, most of energy is spent on heating. To save energy, passive solar systems are being developed that have large area, facing the sun, collect energy and warm the house. The idea is good, but difficult to execute. The house must be perfectly insulated, ventilation must be regulated, when using only solar energy, the optimal temperature in the house is not reached until the middle of the day, and in summer it is too hot.

The solar-powered aircraft is a perfect example of untapped possibilities. A certain prototype of a passive system is installed on it. But there are also active ones. They heat water or air. Only then they, as coolants, enter the house. They are easier to control, can be installed on already built houses, but their effectiveness is insufficient for harsh winters Russia. However, in hybrid systems, when combined with conventional energy sources, active solar systems can save up to 60 percent of energy.

sunmobile

A solar-powered aircraft is not the only modern transport powered by this type of energy. There is a sun car, and not even one. Every year in Switzerland there is a competition between such machines, it is called the Tour de Sol. The race lasts six days. Every day the participants have to overcome from 80 to 150 km on the roads of Switzerland and Austria.

A few years ago, such a solar car made its way through Russia. It turned out that his wheels could not pass on our country roads, and the movement was on highways. Russia is big, and there is not enough sun everywhere. But, despite all the difficulties, the solar car completed its route. Max Speed of such transport is 170 km/h. The use of solar energy in the form of a solar car received another positive confirmation. In Europe, some models have already entered the series.

Solar panels. Price. Production

Solar panels, in fact, are solar cells that convert solar energy. In the movie "The Martian" they are clearly shown when main character cleans them of dust after a catastrophe. In Russia, they are not popular and are not produced. The usual minimum private order is formed in the amount of 9 thousand rubles. The solar panels themselves, the price of which varies depending on the size of the product, cost from one and a half thousand rubles to 15 thousand rubles.

Use in Russia

In our country, the sun shines regularly, but not very strongly. The examples of the use of solar energy, outlined above, can be applied in the vastness of our country. Unfortunately, battery life will only pay off in the long run. But if you take into account not only the amount of money, but also the savings natural resources, then we can confidently say that this technology needs to be developed and actively used as much as possible.

Many people with the phrase solar panels have an association with cheap electricity and what is installed on the roof. And so the Swiss company Solar Impulse decided to break these stereotypes and proceeded to develop a solar-powered human-controlled aircraft called HB-SIA. So, in early May 2010, the Swiss company made a real breakthrough in technology and aviation, which will be included in world history. From the Swiss airfield, which is located in the city of Payern, the first solar aircraft, controlled by a pilot, started.

About the first flight

The first single-pilot solar-powered aircraft made its maiden flight. This prototype was called HB-SIA. Which went well, the flight time was more than a day, which made it possible to overcome the line between day and night. This plane was piloted by one of the founders of Solar Impulse, an avid Swiss aviator named Andre Berber. At the time of the flight, the pilot was 57 years old. After the flight, the pilot shared his feelings.

Having started the flight, I was worried whether there would be enough energy or not. But not having time to start the flight, as I saw. That the charge scale began to rise rapidly. After that I started to worry about a new problem. Is there enough battery capacity? And in the end, everything went well and the charge was enough for a flight of 26 hours. At the same time, the environment was not polluted and not a gram of fuel was used for the flight.

HB-SIA has the following parameters:

Continuation of a story

In 2015, Solar Impulse created a new prototype called Solar Impulse 2, which was supposed to travel around the world using only solar energy. According to the calculation of the inventors, the aircraft must cover this distance in 120 hours. But something went wrong and after 14 hours of flight the plane landed. On the ground, it turned out that the wing was damaged due to severe overheating. After that, it was decided to postpone the record flight in 2016. We will follow this project and will definitely make a review article on the flight.

Video solar aircraft HB-SIA

In these videos, the solar aircraft HB-SIA makes its first takeoffs. The video tells and shows a little about this unique device. Which opens up new perspectives in the development of airspace. After reading the article, you can leave your feedback in the comments. You can also subscribe to our channel and receive the latest news about alternative energy.

When we say solar energy, we mean the conversion of photon energy into electricity, using solar panels or panels. Application the latest technologies and the widespread use of these batteries improves the ecological situation on earth. Solar energy is also a renewable type of fuel, which is very important given the exponentially growing needs of people and the inevitable depletion of fossil fuels.

The invention of new lightweight solar panels and ultra-strong lightweight materials made it possible to create a solar aircraft that can fly like a conventional aircraft, only without refueling, due to electricity generated by the sun's rays. The principle of operation is simple, during the day it flies and charges the batteries, and at night it uses this energy, i.e. it can fly around the clock. There are both manned and non-manned aircraft. According to ABI Research experts, the market for unmanned aerial vehicles alone will be $8.4 billion by 2019.

The scope of ever-flying unmanned vehicles is huge, because they will replace expensive satellites, they are even called atmospheric satellites. They can be used for relaying communication signal, observing the earth and atmosphere, spreading the Internet in hard-to-reach places etc. Manned solar aircraft are, first of all, environmentally friendly transport.

Several companies are developing solar aircraft some successfully, some not. Here are some of the best in the industry:

1. Solar drones Solara 50 and Solara 60 from Google (Titan Aerospace) (Solar - solar)

Google acquired Titan Aerospace in April 2014. Titan Aerospace has designed the Solara 50 and Solara 60 vehicles to be able to fly autonomously for more than 5 years.

Features Solara 60:

In Russia, the Owl atmospheric satellite was tested. After certain improvements and successful re-tests, the Owl will be adopted by the Russian army.

The device automatically maintains the shape of the wing. The wing, 28 m long, can bend from gusts of wind, but not break. This is a return platform, serviced. Tests began on June 30, 2016 at an altitude of 15-20 km. As expected, the device can spend more than 30 days in the air in a non-stop flight.

Airbus in 2013 acquired the assets of the Zephyr project from QinetiQ (England). Zephyr is a solar drone that broke several world records in 2010: the longest flight - over 336 hours; the most high altitude 18.805 km. He can fly in extreme weather conditions– from -40 С 0 to +75 С 0

On this moment, the company is developing version 8 of the drone, and wants to put it on the market as soon as possible as an alternative to satellites. Also, these drones are acquired by the British Ministry of Defense.

Features Zephyr 8:

wingspan - 28 m
height ceiling - 21 km
speed — 55 km/h
weight - 60 kg

5. Electric aircraft Elektra One Solar and Elektra Two from the German company PC-Aero

The German company PC-Aero has put into serial production a manned electric aircraft Elektra One Solar worth $145,000. Solar panels on the surface of the wing provide about half of the power for flight.

Characteristics:

wingspan - 11 m
aircraft weight - 200 kg
lithium-ion batteries
cruising speed - 140 km / h
number of places — 1 place
range - 1000 km

The company also produces Elektra Two with the following characteristics:

number of places — 1 place
range - 2000 km
cruising speed - 80 km / h
wingspan - 17 m

You can buy them on the official website aeroexpo.com.

6. NASA Helios is a solar-powered drone

Model NASA Helios designed for flights at altitudes up to 30 km. The duration of the flight is about a day. In 2001, Helios climbed to a height of 29.5 km and stayed there for 40 minutes. On June 26, 2003, the first and last copy of the drone crashed.

7. Solar impulse (The Solar Impulse) and Solar Impulse 2

The Swiss company has released the first manned aircraft HB-SIA (Solar Impulse), which flies only due to the energy of the sun, which it receives from solar panels and accumulates in batteries.

Characteristics:

flight altitude - 8500 m
maximum takeoff weight– 2000 kg
nominal weight - 1600 kg
wingspan - 63.40 m
Batteries - Li-Po

Solar Impulse 2 or HB-SIB is designed to demonstrate the possibilities of alternative energy. Made many non-stop round-the-world flights, the longest flight lasted 118 hours.

Characteristics:

flight altitude - 8500 m
maximum takeoff weight - 2300 kg
cruising speed - 140 km / h
wingspan - 72 m

Atlantik Solar is developing a solar drone of the same name. In 2015, during testing, a record was set - 81 hours of flight.

Characteristics:

wingspan - 5.6 m
weight - 6.3 kg
Batteries - Li-Ion
payload - HD digital camera, real-time image transmission
flight duration - up to 10 days

9 Silent Falcon by Silent Falcon UAS Technologies

Bye Engineering has partnered with Silent Falcon UAS Technologies to develop the Silent Falcon drone. It's a solar-powered drone that launches from a catapult and lands with a parachute. Noiseless when flying above 100 m. It is being actively implemented both in the military and in the civilian sector.

Characteristics:

wingspan - 4.4 m
length - 1.9 m
weight - 13.5 kg
flight duration - 5 - 7 hours
photovoltaic battery - thin film Ascent Solar
battery - Li-Ion
flight range - up to 100 km
cruising speed - 70 km / h
maximum flight altitude - 6000 m

It can be purchased from the official site silentfalconuas.com, but is subject to the US Department of State's International Arms Trade Regulation.

Flying machines powered by the largest of the stars, the sun. this idea comes from the sci-fi films that are so often in theaters and so hopelessly captivate the interest of so many people around the world. And not in vain. The reality of creating such machines is much closer than we think. Modern technologies aircraft industry intend to use the maximum of the largest energy sources, accessible to man However, this breakthrough has not yet been made and the good goal is still in its infancy. Nevertheless, we invite you to familiarize yourself with the most advanced aircraft projects to date, already flying or planning to fly on solar energy.

1. Solar plane "Zephyr" (Zephyr Solar Plane)

The Zephyr, after flying over Arizona for two weeks, became the successful endurance record holder among unmanned aerial vehicles. This project was an attempt to develop a self-sufficient observation aircraft. This aircraft is powered by solar energy and has set a new record with 336 hours of non-stop flight, over 10 times the previous record of just 30 hours. The maximum flight altitude is 18,000 meters. However, it is still not known when this aircraft will be mass-produced.

The aircraft is large enough, but light. It is absorbed by the sun's rays during the day and stores additional energy, which is not necessary for the momentary operation of the aircraft in special lithium-sulfur batteries to use this energy at night. Without a doubt, the energy power of the sun can be a huge advantage if you know how to use it.

2. Hy-bird solar-hydrogen plane

http://www.lisa-airplanes.com/

The aircraft, called the Hy-bird, is a lightweight, solar-powered aircraft made from durable carbon fiber. Lithium-polymer batteries and solar cells became the main source of energy. They will give approximately 10% of its power. It may seem unrealistic, but this project could become a reality by next year.

3. The Sunseeker II: in search of the sun

http://solar-flight.com/sunseekerII/index.html

Designed by engineer Eric Raymond, the Sunchaser (which is how the aircraft's name translates) is ultra-lightweight and features solar panels that are mounted on a small area of the wings. In April of this year, this device has already passed flight tests in the German Friedrichshafen and in June - in the Italian Torino.

Now the creators of the Sunseeker II want to launch it even higher: in Swiss Alps, as well as flights over the Australian Dolomites, in Slovenia, France and Spain are also planned.

4. Centurion (Centurion)

Centurion is a device that is piloted remotely. It is also lightweight and equipped with solar panels placed on the wings. The technology used in this aircraft allows it to fly longer and higher. Its wingspan is almost 63 meters, and the 2.5 meter cord makes the ratio of width to length equal to 26 to 1.

solarimpulse.com

The Solar Impulse aircraft is a propeller-driven aircraft with about 12,000 solar panels on its 63-meter lightweight wings made of durable carbon fiber. This solar plane has already proved that it can fly in the dark and that its batteries can store a significant amount of energy between its takeoff at 7 am and the night of the next day, while flying at an altitude of 8.5 kilometers.

6. Solar Odysseus (Odysseus Solar Plane)

This is an autonomous observation vehicle that amazes observers with its ability to fly above the earth for 5 years, while feeding solely on sunlight. Its design is unique as it combines a combination of three different aircraft. It has 50-meter wings-like structures that are launched separately and then connected together in a calmer stratosphere. The length of the Odyssey after assembly is 150 meters, its speed reaches 225 kilometers per hour, and its flight height is from 18 to 27 kilometers above the ground.

The project is still under development, however, they plan to create Odyssey in 5 years, and with a smaller version.

7. Solong

www.acpropulsion.com

The Solong UAV solar powered aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle, which is able to fly for 24 hours solely on energy sunlight. The wingspan of Solong is 4.75 meters, and it weighs just under 10.8 kilograms. It should be noted that this device flies silently and does not pollute environment.

8 Sky Sailor

www.sky-sailor.ethz.ch

This plane may not have reached world records, but nevertheless, an attempt is always very valuable. "Sailor" was conceived as an aircraft capable of soaring in the air for about 24 hours and doing so only with the help of the energy of our luminary. However, he had to land just after sunset. Like all such devices, it is also made of modern lightweight materials, weighs only 2.5 kilograms, its wingspan with 216 solar panels attached to it is 3.2 meters.

9 Solar Challenger

www.donaldmonroe.com

The human-controlled solar-powered aircraft weighs about 93 kilograms and holds the world record for distance, altitude and flight duration. He stayed in the sky for 5 hours and 23 minutes, during which time he traveled 262 kilometers from Corneille-en-Verin airport, located north of Paris to the royal military - air base in Manston, UK.

10 Pathfinder Plus

The aircraft was originally called simply the Pathfinder, but its successor, the Pathfinder Plus solar aircraft, received a new central panel on the wings, which increased the wingspan to 37 meters. Equipped with next-generation high-efficiency solar panels, as well as other improvements, the Pathfinder Plus still hit the mark, flying 24.5 kilometers.