Silicon is a semiconductor that conducts electricity in certain conditions while acting as an insulator in certain other conditions.
Airbus solar panels.
Airbus in spain provided control and electrical units and airbus in the netherlands provided radiator elements.
The solar impulse has about the same wingspan as a 747 airplane and its wings are covered in nearly 12 000 solar cells.
During daylight the solar panels charged the plane s batteries which make up a quarter of the craft s 2 3 tonne weight.
Zephyr is the world s leading solar electric stratospheric unmanned aerial vehicle uav.
The wingspan of solar impulse 2 is 71 9 m 236 ft slightly less than that of an airbus a380 the world s largest passenger airliner but compared with the 500 ton a380 the carbon fibre solar impulse weighs only about 2 3 tonnes 5 100 lb little more than an average suv.
More than 85 space missions have flown or are flying with our solar arrays all of which successfully deployed in space and perform as expected or even better still.
The unmanned aircraft a 75 kilogram zephyr offers what airbus describes as local satellite like services and runs on solar power.
Specializes in the design manufacture and testing of aircraft with particular expertise in advanced materials lightweight structures and the integration of solar power systems in aircraft.
It operates in the stratosphere at an average altitude of.
It harnesses the sun s rays running exclusively on solar power above the weather and conventional air traffic.
Just like domestic solar roof panels the solar impulse 2 aircraft uses devices called photovoltaic cells or solar cells to generate electricity from sunlight.
In 1998 the remote controlled solar airplane pathfinder set an altitude record after reaching 80 000 feet.
These cells are made of silicon and are very thin.
Airbus defence and space netherlands has provided satellites with power since 1979.
The pilot also climbed to 29 000 feet during the day and glided down to.
Airbus in germany provided the solar arrays ottobrunn and key propulsion elements lampoldshausen.
That s about 200 square meters of solar cells.
Filling a capability gap complimentary to satellites uavs and manned aircraft to provide persistent local satellite like services.
