On July 7, 1981, the small solar-powered aircraft "Solar Challenger" flew quietly into the sky. After five and a half hours of flying 260 kilometers across the English Channel, we flew from Paris to London in one go. This historic flight shows that solar energy has entered the aeronautical field.
The newly developed large-scale solar aircraft "Falcon" has already completed a test flight, reaching a new milestone in practicality. Its huge wings are covered in solar cells, driving eight propellers to slowly stir the air with very little noise. The speed reaches 145 kilometers per hour. The “heel” part of the “Falcon” is also equipped with missiles with excellent performance.
Solar-powered planes will never be able to land and become a mobile fortress in the air.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of solar energy?
The greatest avThe world's solar ion, Solar Impulse 2, is a long-range solar aircraft that can fly continuously day and night without consuming a drop of fuel. The energy required for flight is provided entirely by solar cells. Its wingspan reaches 72 meters, second only to the largest commercial airliner A380 (79.75 meters), but its weight is only about 2,300 kilograms, which is equivalent to a semi-family car.
Advantages of solar energy: aircraft not only open up new and inexhaustible energy sources in the face of the energy crisis, but also have no waste gases and oils worn and will not cause environmental pollution; no engine roar and no noise pollution; it also has the advantages of smooth and comfortable flight, making it a very promising new type of aircraft. But it also has many disadvantages: solar cells are still very expensive and thecost of aircraft is high (it is estimated that a single-seat solar aircraft costs thousands of dollars just for the solar cells); low and the generated power is limited and cannot work at night or in cloudy days.