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Energy

A New Record For Solar Plane

by Alex Scott
July 13, 2015 | A version of this story appeared in Volume 93, Issue 28

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Credit: Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse 2 descends into Hawaii’s Kalaeloa Airport after being airborne for almost 118 hours.
Solar Impulse 2 comes in to land at Hawaii’s Kalaeloa airport after being airborne for almost 118 hours.
Credit: Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse 2 descends into Hawaii’s Kalaeloa Airport after being airborne for almost 118 hours.

Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered solely by photovoltaic panels, has broken the distance record for a solar aircraft by travelling 4,480 miles from Nagoya, Japan, to Hawaii. The flight took almost five days and required that the plane, which features materials developed by firms including Bayer and Solvay, store energy during the day in its array of lithium-ion batteries. The flight was the eighth of 12 legs in a round-the-world attempt that began in Abu Dhabi. The journey is designed to raise awareness about the potential of solar energy.

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