Guardian
Some much needed good news today. Looks like there will be an opportunity in the near future for me to satisfy my love of international travel and still maintain my low carbon footprint. This comes from the news of a solar energy plane landing in Morocco on Tuesday, completing the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun to show the potential for renewable-energy air travel.
The Solar Impulse took off from Madrid at 0322 GMT on Tuesday and landed at Rabat's International airport after a 19-hour flight. Shortly before Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard landed in Rabat's airport, the project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg said the aircraft has proved its sustainability.
Solar Impulse has demonstrated that a solar-powered airplane can fly day and night using no fuel.
The plane, which requires 12,000 solar cells, embarked on its first flight in April 2010 and completed a 26-hour flight, a record flying time for a solar powered aircraft, three months later.
It made its first international flight last month when it completed a 13-hour flight from the western Swiss town of Payern to Brussels. With an average flying speed of 70 km/h (44 mph), Solar Impulse is not an immediate threat to commercial jets, which can easily cruise at more than 10 times the speed. A flight from Madrid to Rabat can take a little more than an hour.
So it's a little slow but the potential is enormous. Solar air travel is further along than I realized. Perhaps living in a hut with a 30 mile radius is not in our future after all.
Update: check out this video of Solar Impulse landing..awesome and silent! Trying to figure out how to embed
http://www.solarimpulse.com/...