This is really interesting. We need to urgently address how we consume fossil fuel. If this can work, imagine the amount of jet fuel saved.

Until the next time, cheers.

Solar dream takes flight

AFP, July 8, 2012

Touchdown ... experimental sun powered, Solar Impulse. Photo: Reuters

A solar-powered plane has landed in Spain on its way home from breaking a record with the first intercontinental flight by an aircraft run on the sun's energy.

Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard piloted the experimental Solar Impulse on the 17-hour flight from Rabat in Morocco.

The 54-year-old landed at Madrid's main airport early on Saturday, his team said in a statement.

The plane, which is made of carbon fibre and flies without fuel, is on its way back to Switzerland after last month flying from Spain to Morocco, the first time a solar-powered aircraft has crossed continents.

The flights are a rehearsal for an attempted round-the-world trip in 2014 by an updated version of the plane.

The 900-kilometre Morocco to Spain leg was "a particularly tactically challenging flight" at an average of 60km/h with the plane hitting strong crosswinds, the team said.

AFP