Around the World in a Solar Plane

Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist Bertrand Piccard is currently flying a solar-powered plane across the Atlantic as part of his attempt to complete the first flight around the world (that’s 22,000 miles!) in a solar-powered plane.

What is Solar-Powered?
When we talk about something that is solar-powered, we are referring to something that is powered either completely or partially by energy (electricity) generated by the sun’s rays. Piccard’s plane, called Solar Impulse, is powered by solar PV, or photovoltaics, which means the plane is outfitted with special panels that convert sunlight directly into energy.

Piccard’s flight began in New York City and is slated to end in Seville, Spain. Click here to watch a video and read more about Solar Impulse on BBC News: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-36573970

You can also visit Solar Impulse’s website for flight updates: http://www.solarimpulse.com/

Featured Image Photo Credit: Batra at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32121535