Celebrating the Solar Impulse
Yesterday’s ground-breaking landing in Hawaii (pictured left) of the solar PV-powered aircraft “Solar Impulse” after its trip across the Pacific is a time for celebration. The triumph goes far beyond the astonishing accomplishments of materials science and solar photovoltaics themselves; it’s an announcement of the beauty that is to come, the promise of what will happen when the world derives its energy from its nearest star, which showers upon us 6000 times more power than all seven billion of us consume.
Are we close to replacing our fleet of jet aircraft with solar PV? No. The Wright brothers didn’t begin issuing frequent flyer programs in 1903 either, yet the first successful demonstration of air travel in a heavier-than-air machine was momentous nonetheless; everyone paying attention knew that the world had been changed forever.
With the success of the Solar Impulse, we stand in awe of the vast power of the sun and its potential to transform our lives, and accept a cheerful eagerness to bring that potential to fruition.
Here’s a link to an Australian article about the Solar Impulse and it’s completing its trip around the world:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-26/solar-impluse-2-plane-circles-globe-in-fuel-free-journey/7660770
Notice that it took only 18 months! I can hardly wait for major airlines to scale up the technology. No doubt there will be many passengers making reservations to take leisurely trips to Europe and other places.