This new plane will
make the first ever carbon-free flight across the Atlantic
A new plane powered solely by biofuels and
solar energy is about to make the first zero-carbon-emission flight across the
Atlantic Ocean. Seven years in the making, the 'Eraole' has been developed
by French pilot, scientist, and entrepreneur, Raphaël Dinelli, and is set to
make its maiden journey in June.
The super-lightweight aircraft is powered by
solar cells built into its wings, and when the Sun goes down, an algae-based
biofuel can drive the engine instead. And they won't have to work that hard -
around 20 percent of the Eraole's power comes from simply gliding through the
sky. Dinelli's alternative energy company, Laboratoire
Océan Vital, is responsible for constructing the revolutionary
machine.
When it comes to actually flying the aircraft,
Dinelli will have a number of challenges to deal with: a cramped cockpit (to
keep the weight of the aircraft down); a non-pressurised cabin (to reduce the
drain on its energy sources), which means he'll be on 30 percent less oxygen
than normal; and a 60-hour flight time with no autopilot available.
Being a veteran of solo sailing voyages should
give Dinelli some useful experience to draw upon, however.
Laboratoire Océan Vital
A typical round-trip flight from New York to
Europe releases 2-3 tons (1.8 to 2.7 tonnes) of carbon dioxide per
person, reports The New York Times, and the
journey about to be undertaken by the Eraole is designed to act as a wake-up
call to the environmental consequences of air travel.
If you take several long flights a year and
don't do much driving, it's likely that the biggest part of your carbon
footprint comes from the time you spend in the air.
Small lithium-ion batteries are included in
the plane to add some extra thrust during take-off, but after that, the
aircraft should run on solar power for some 25 percent of the time its
airborne. With gliding accounting for 20 percent of the trip's duration, that
leaves 55 percent for the biofuel - Dinelli and his team have spent two years
finding the best biofuel engine for the task.
With a cruising altitude of 10,000 feet (609
metres) and a top speed of 100 km/h (about 62 mph) the Eraole won't be winning
any speed races any time soon - a commercial passenger jet could complete the
journey in a tenth of the time - but it might just spark a renewable energy
revolution in the field of aviation.
"People investigating non-carbon flight are no longer seen
as a bunch of eccentric dreamers," Dinelli told CNN. We can't wait to see it fly.