Solar Plane: Operation, prototypes

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A solar airplane  is an  airplane  whose electric propulsion is powered, totally or partially, by the energy it captures from the sun thanks to photovoltaic panels. Usually placed on the surface of the wing, they convert sunlight energy into electrical energy. Connected to the panels, an electronic circuit called maximum power point  ensures optimal use of this energy. Especially to power the motor that converts this electrical energy into mechanical energy through the propeller. In most cases, a battery is used to store extra energy to compensate for the lack of sunlight. Compared to fossil fuels , solar energy is inexhaustible, free and clean. But it has a large variation associated with the Earth's rotation (day-night cycle) and unpredictable instability due to clouds.

This type of airplane is not used for air transportation. Photovoltaic cells are   expensive, fragile and difficult to implement in a wing bend. Due to its current maximum efficiency of around a large area is needed to obtain adequate power. The batteries required for storage even of the latest Phone Number List generation lithium polymer technology are heavy. Despite these enormous advances, the capabilities of these aircraft are still very limited, with an average speed of . The cabin volume is only  which is still very small. And to avoid energy costs, the propellers can spin at  to revolutions/min. Solar Impulse , the first solar airplane: Bertrand Piccard and André who flew around the world in , had the idea of ​​a photovoltaic airplane.



Their extensive research leads them to create the Solar Impulse . This solar plane is a project that involves a single-seat solar plane with which it was planned to go around the world in five stops starting in . Its total wingspan is . This aircraft, weighing only , has a structure that is made entirely of carbon. Since the solar plane is light and strong, it can withstand the vibrations and strong aerodynamic limitations associated with the large amplitude of the solar plane. The batteries represent a significant part of the device's mass, weighing approximately . A little history The impulse II solar plane completes a historic circumnavigation of the world. Exactly days passed . They are what it has needed, the Solar Impulse II plane to be.