Bertrand Piccard, a Swiss adventurer and the first person to circle the globe non-stop in a hot air balloon, is looking for more funding to build his “SolarImpulse” plane, which he believes can fly day and night with no fuel or emissions. A partnership has been announced between the Solar Impulse project and the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA, which represents about 240 airlines, has set a target of achieving the technology to fly with zero carbon emissions within the next 50 years.
MSNBC: “The craft will have a wingspan of 262.5 feet — slightly wider than that of the giant new Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger plane. The large wings will provide maximum surface area for the solar cells that will power the craft.”
links:
Adventurer seeks more solar plane funds
IATA’s Carbon Free Vision (pdf)
