On March 28-30, in Sofia Bulgaria, the world will get the first glimpse of a solar powered airplane. A scale model airplane of Solar Impulse will be displayed at the South-East European Solar PV & Thermal Exhibition (SEE Solar).

Solar Impulse will the first aircraft that can fly day and night without fuel. It aims to fly around the world with no fuel and solely powered by solar energy. The project began in 2003 and is a product of years of planning, research, simulation and testing. It aims to demonstrate that progress is possible while using clean energy. The solar-powered aircraft will take its first flight on 2014. It is currently on test missions that last for several days.

The Solar Impluse was a wing span of 63.40 meters, similar to Airbus A340. It uses four 10HP engines and weight 1600 kg. It has 11,628 solar cells located on the aircraft wings and horizontal stabilizer. It has an average flying speed of 70km/h and can reach the maximum altitude of 8,500 meters. The scale model airplane will be presented at the exhibit by Solvay Sodi, a Bulgarian company who is the main technological partner of Soalr Impluse.

Source:  http://www.renewableenergyworld.com,www.solarimpluse.com