At the end of 2009, Bertrand Piccard a well-respected mind in the field of balloon aviation, unveiled his idea to pioneer a solar aircraft. Bertrand Piccard, is known to be the first individual to successfully travel around the globe in a hot air balloon, and also the winner of the Transatlantic balloon race.
Many experts in the aviation industry and the engineering industry told Piccard that his vision was impossible, something that was simply an idea and not “practical” enough to manifest into a real thing. So Piccard took his ideas to a maker of ships, who implicated the light-weight and durable idea of carbon-fiber along with the latest solar technology to create his dream. The company is called Decision SA, they are a Swiss company affiliated with created America’s Cup winning Alinghi.
At the 2009 TED Global Conference, Piccard expanded upon his ideas and venture, by going into how the idea itself developed and how he was able to change aviation with this new direction. According to CNN, Piccard has a family history of pioneers and adventurers. His grandfather was the first known person to enter the stratosphere, and his father was the first known person to reach the deepest part of the ocean.
Piccard’s passion and intellect brought about the production of his 72 million dollar project, called “solar impulse”, and the first prototype has already been manufactured. His efforts prove the connection with renewable energy sources and technology to be correct. While companies like GM are going bankrupt, because of their dependency on oil, Piccard will be perfecting his solar aircraft. If “solar impulse” continues to be successful and solar energy is the next step in industry, then Piccard might become one of the most well-known pioneers of our generation.
“People put limitations on their creativity, believing they have to rely on what they know and what they have done”, says Piccard. New information that Piccard has released in an interview with CNN states that since the energy is limited at this particular time, the aircraft will only travel around 40 knots (55 mph). There will only be one pilot, and the aircraft will also feature the incorporation of lithium polymer batteries by the thousand.
This is really cool! I wish more people were talking about just how huge this leap is. It’s one thing to have a solar powered battery, but if you think about how far-fetched the science behind a solar powered vessel really is, it almost sounds like Jules Verne made it up.