In preparation for their attempt at round-the-world flight in 2014, the Solar Impulse team has announced the destination of its 2012 mission: the Kingdom of Morocco.
This spring, Solar Impulse will attempt another world first by flying more than 2,500 km,(1,550 miles) without using a drop of fuel, and landing in Morocco. This trip will coincide with the launch of construction in the region of Ouarzazate of the largest thermo-solar power plant ever built.
In May or June, Solar Impulse will take off on this trip from Switzerland, its longest ever, flying over the Pyrenees and the Mediterranean. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, who will have a 48 hour flight ahead of them, will change places on board during a planned technical stopover in Spain.
This long duration flight will act as a dress rehearsal for the round-the-world flight in 2014. It will also allow the Mission team do some final training in the procedures of cooperating with international airports, integrating the prototype HB-SIA into air traffic and providing the logistics for servicing the airplane.
“We didn’t have a moment’s hesitation in accepting the idea of working with Morocco”, declared André Borschberg, co-founder and CEO of Solar Impulse. “This destination corresponds fully with the goals we had set ourselves, in terms of distance and flight duration.” He added: “Flying as far as this, powered only by solar energy will be excellent training for the round-the-world trip.”
The Solar Impulse team will be welcomed in Morocco by the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (MASEN), whose role is to develop Morocco’s solar energy plan. This program is the most ambitious not only in the region but world-wide, in terms of its innovative strategies and large-scale integration of solar technologies.
When they arrive in Morocco, the pilots will symbolically present to their hosts samples of the solar technologies exploited by Solar Impulse. Morocco intends by 2020 to build five solar complexes, generating in total 2000 megawatts and preventing the emission over time of 3.7 million tons of CO2. The solar-thermal power plant in the region of Ouarzazate, which will have a capacity of 160 MW, is part of the solar complex, housing a range of solar installations which, by 2015, will generate a total of 500 MW.
“We are full of admiration for the vision of His Majesty the King Mohammed VI and the intelligent energy policy adopted by Morocco. We are delighted to support it. Theirs is a pioneering project, which clearly demonstrates that the clean technologies we are promoting with Solar Impulse also have a role to play in everyday life”, declared an enthusiastic Bertrand Piccard, initiator and President of Solar Impulse.
In his reply, Mustapha Bakkoury, President of the Management Board of MASEN, confirmed that “it is quite natural, given the convergence between our respective convictions and goals, that Solar Impulse and MASEN combine forces for a project that brings to life the ideals and values that inspire us.”
The team’s vision is to fly night and day without fuel, powered by solar energy, and to demonstrate that progress is possible using clean energy.
It took seven years of studies, simulation, construction and tests to achieve the first solar day-and-night flight in history: 26 hours, 10 minutes and 19 seconds, and 3 world records. The aircraft has:
- The wingspan of an Airbus A340: 63.40 m
- The weight of a family car: 1600 kg
- The power of a scooter: four 10 HP engines
In building the first solar aircraft able to fly day and night, and piloting it right round the world without fuel or pollution, Solar Impulse’s ambition is for the world of exploration and innovation to contribute to the cause of renewable energies, to demonstrate the importance of clean technologies for sustainable development; to save natural resources and reduce our dependency on fossil energy; and to place dreams and emotions back at the heart of scientific adventure.
Source Press Release