Solar-powered plane stops in Cairo before flying off to UAE

Pioneering solar-powered plane Solar Impulse II soared over the Pyramids of Giza today, before safely landing in Cairo for a few days.

With just two pilots — André Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard from Switzerland — Solar Impulse II is making its unprecedented round-the-world flight using only the power of sunlight stored in its 17,000 photovoltaic cells.

This latest leg of the flight, from Seville, Spain, took exactly 48 hours and 50 minutes, according to the Solar Impulse Facebook page.

Its next and final destination is the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, with which it is due to complete its trip of more than 35,000 kilometers. The final leg of this historic flight will be piloted by Piccard, “in a few days if the weather is good.”

Solar Impulse II had begun its journey in Abu Dhabi back in March 2015.

Equipped with the wingspan of 72 meters (slightly longer than that of a Boeing 747), a single pilot’s seat and bicycle wheels, the experimental plane has set many world records in the course of its round-the-world flight – including the longest solo solar-powered flight in aviation history and the first such flight over the Pacific Ocean.

With a total flying duration of around 500 hours, this round-the-world flight is being made in 10 stages.

According to a video interview with Piccard, “Egypt is the country where I had the idea to make this project. It’s where I landed 17 years ago on the Breitling Orbiter 3 — the balloon with which I flew non-stop with Brian Jones in March 1999.”

Relying on natural jet streams, Piccard and Jones concluded their historic 20-day trip in late March 1999. It was the world’s first successful non-stop balloon circumnavigation of the globe, and it required no fuel.

On their official webpage, Piccard writes, “Solar Impulse will demonstrate the far reaching applications of clean energy during the first solar powered flight around the world.”

It is reported that neither Borschberg nor Piccard have expectations that solar-powered planes will be used in commercial aviation anytime soon — although they do hope that electricity-powered planes may eventually replace the far more polluting contemporary planes which run on aviation fuel.

A potential alternative to the use of such fossil fuels in commercial flights and planes is the use of the more sustainable aviation biofuels.

The team of Solar Impulse II say they want to raise awareness of renewable energy sources and technologies with their project, and are using the hashtag #FutureIsClean in doing so.

According to Piccard, “If governments had the courage to promote clean technologies on a massive scale, our society could simultaneously reduce its dependence on fossil fuels, create jobs and stimulate sustainable growth.”

But in Egypt, which is blessed with year-round sunshine, the authorities have been promoting the use of highly polluting fossil fuels and other non-renewable sources of energy.

While the Egyptian state has officially been involved in the use of renewable energies since the 1970s, it recently moved to allow imports of coal for industrial use and is planning for the creation of a nuclear-powered electricity station with the assistance of Russia.