ABB, the Swiss global electric engineering firm with North American headquarters in Cary, recently announced that it would work with world-renowned Solar Impulse on energy projects. Solar Impulse’s most visible undertaking is its plan for next year: to circumnavigate the world in a plane powered only by the sun’s energy.
Zurich-based Solar Impulse has made international headlines. Solar flight feats by co-founders and pilots Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg include the first manned overnight flight (26 hours, in 2010); the first intercontinental flight (2012); and a trip across the United States last year that set several world distance records for solar flight.
But Solar Impulse’s ultimate goal has little to do with records, or even aviation. It’s about demonstrating the dramatically useful impacts of clean energy.
“Our primary purpose is not to revolutionize aviation but the way in which people think about energy and clean technologies,” said Piccard, who captained the first non-stop, around-the-world balloon flight in 1999. “If Solar Impulse technologies were used on a massive scale, the world would be able to save up to 50 percent of the current consumption of fossil energy and produce half of the rest with renewable energies.”
ABB – the second-largest maker of solar power adapters worldwide – has its own solar resume. Its PowerStore is a flywheel technology that protects conventional microgrids and ensures the safe integration of large amounts of wind and solar energy. ABB’s global research and development center for electric power is located on N.C. State’s Centennial Campus.
ABB’s specific role with Solar Impulse is unclear at this point, with details of projects under wraps. Piccard summed up the partnership this way: “Solar Impulse delivers the message, and ABB produces the corresponding products.”
Maxine Ghavi, head of the Solar Industry Segment Initiative at ABB, said the collaboration is a natural: “If you look at ABB and Solar Impulse, we share a common ideal – which is to address the growing energy demand with increased efficiency and minimal environmental impact.”
The first – the HB-SIA, which made its initial test flight in December 2009 – was basically a technology lab with wings that was unable to handle flights of longer duration. It was disassembled last August in favour of the larger, upgraded and more powerful Solar Impulse 2 (HB-SIB), which made its maiden flight June 2.
The single-seater has a 236-foot wingspan that’s larger than that of a Boeing 747-8. The 17,000 solar cells built into the wings provide four electric motors with renewable energy.
The plane is made of carbon fiber, known for its strength, low weight, temperature tolerance and chemical resistance. It weighs only 5,070 pounds – about the weight of a midsize car. More than 40 percent of that weight comes from lithium ion batteries that are recharged during the day so that the Solar Impulse 2 can fly through the night.
This technology has advanced dramatically since the 1970s, when solar aviation began with model aircrafts and affordable solar cells appeared on the market. The first manned solar flight was in 1980 in California by Paul MacCready, whose teenage son was a test pilot.
Despite how far Solar Impulse and solar flight have progressed in a short time, “We do not foresee solar-powered commercial aircraft in the near future,” Piccard said. He emphasized that Solar Impulse 2 is an experimental plane, with a calculated lifespan of 2,000 hours.
“As for the aviation industry, it is well aware of its need to change. However, this cannot be done quite as drastically as with Solar Impulse. Our project involves zero fuel. Conventional aviation cannot switch straight to zero fuel. Intermediate steps are needed, such as using lighter materials, more direct routes or approaching airports through constant descent rather than performing level landings. Aviation will be the final area of transport able to stop using fuel,” he said. – Newsobserver