Super solar plane set to soar

While it's unlikely that solar-powered passenger jets will fly 200 tourists from Boston to Orlando anytime soon, experimentation in solar flight continues, most recently with the cool-looking Solar Impulse, a carbon composite flying machine with a 260-foot wingspan that's wider than that of most jets even as the entire plane weighs in at only a couple of tons.

With hot-air-balloonist Bertrand Piccard and his partner Andre Borschberg leading the charge, Solar Impulse, complete with 2,150 square feet of solar cells powering its four 12-horsepower engines, will attempt a circumnavigation of the globe at the very slow pace of 44 mph in 2011 (the itinerary will include five stops). The first test flights are scheduled for next year. "In one year's time, Solar Impulse will fly without any polluting emissions, but will carry only one person," says Piccard.

Part of the challenge is to collect enough solar power during the day not only to power the plane but also to be stored in batteries to keep the plane going after dark. As it is, collecting solar power at altitude can only happen for about eight hours a day.

As Green Living Online reports, last week the International Air Transport Association signed on to help the Solar Impulse vision come true. It's important assistance because it shows that the IATA is already interested in figuring out how we're all going fly in a world that has run out of fossil fuels. Let's hope Solar Impulse can stay in the air.