Nothing inspires me more than the story of the two pilots who flew the Solar Impulse 2 around the world. Not knowing whether it is possible or not, Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard flew the first ever flying plane powered solely by solar having a weight of just 2.3 tonnes while an average plane weighs 300 tonnes. With a 17,000 solar cells in it wings, it successfully made a trip around the world.
After flying over 42,000km, two oceans, three seas and four continents, Andre and Bertrand arrived safely in Abu Dhabi where they were welcomed by the emiratis officials and a bunch of green tech enthusiasts.
Solar Impulse is not aiming at developing solar powered passenger flights – although than can be possible. The idea which was developed in Switzerland and made in France was supported by some of world’s favorite brands including Solvay, Omega, ABB, Google, Schindler, Masdar, Moet Hennessey, and Altran, was purposefully to inspire hope for the future. For us – the young generation and to motivate us to keep up the fight for a greener and cleaner world.
Upon arrival DW interviews the pilots of Solar Impulse – listen here: http://m.dw.com/en/living-planet-solar-impulse/av-19282980?utm_content=buffer8a4ac&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
Below are some of the best shots of the pilots during their trip and also images of their arrival at Abu Dhabi.
Joshua Amponsem 