海角大神

Two Swiss pilots have brought their campaign for renewable energy and innovation聽to the hometown of the聽brothers that recorded聽the first powered flight.聽聽

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on Mr.聽Borschberg and Mr. Piccard, even聽after a聽nearly聽17-hour flight聽from Tulsa,聽Oklahoma.聽聽

"The Wright brothers inspired Solar Impulse from the beginning of our adventure," Borschberg and Piccard wrote on their blog. "While there are always people who try to disprove the聽feasibility聽of what you are trying to do, people who have learned from the Wright聽brothers聽have learnt to push forward."聽聽

The pair acknowledge that the聽Solar Impulse 2, with its unheated and unpressurized cabin聽and聽room for just two,聽might not have聽immediate applications聽for聽commercial aviation. But it could聽lend insight into improving technologies on the ground, as well as聽emphasize the聽importance of renewable energy聽to the aviation聽industry, the fastest-growing source of manmade greenhouse gas emissions.聽聽

The solar-powered plane's聽wingspan聽is聽longer than that of most jumbo jets, but聽its carbon-fiber聽skin and honeycomb foam keeps its聽weight to聽only聽as much as聽a car.聽It can reach an altitude of about 28,000 feet, but聽glides at a cool聽5,000 to 6,000 feet at night聽to conserve energy, which was how聽it聽descended into Ohio聽Saturday.聽聽

Its聽arrival there聽concludes the 12th聽leg聽of a聽journey that聽began just over a year ago in Abu Dhabi. The most arduous leg of the journey so far has been a five-day聽flight聽from Japan to Hawaii.聽Borschberg, a veteran聽pilot,聽recorded the longest solo flight time ever.聽But, tropical heat聽damaged the plane's batteries, grounding it in Hawaii聽for nine months.聽聽

The plane resumed its聽journey聽across the world on April 21, flying to San Francisco before heading on to Arizona and Oklahoma.聽聽聽

In the聽11,000-miles聽the聽Solar Impulse 2 flew from聽Abu Dhabi to Hawaii,聽聽about 5,644聽kWh of electricity, while consuming no fuel,聽according to Solar Impulse's聽website. The electricity it produced is聽enough聽to heat a whole home for a year.聽聽

Although the plane offers聽a glimpse into the potential of solar-powered aircrafts, "commercial聽applications in aviation are still a ways into the future,"聽Borschberg聽acknowledged聽in an interview during a previous visit聽to the newsroom of 海角大神.聽聽

"But what鈥檚 being learned now can help improve the way companies design products for use on the ground, [says聽Borschberg], such as more-efficient homes, cars, and factories," reported the Monitor's Gregory M. Lamb in March.聽"The electric motor in the Solar Impulse 2 is 97 percent efficient in its use of energy, he says. Today鈥檚 automobiles are perhaps 30 or 40 percent efficient."聽

Such energy efficiency contrasts sharply with that of commercial airliners at聽a聽time when the aviation industry is聽under increased scrutiny. While聽the聽industry accounts for about 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions,聽聽it is one of the fastest growing sources of global emissions as air聽travel becomes more affordable and more people travel, according to The New York聽Times.聽聽

The Solar Impulse 2, said Piccard Saturday, "is the聽聽of endless endurance."聽聽

"It's a way to show what we can do with impossible things, with clean technologies, energy saving technologies,"聽he聽told聽ABC 22.聽聽

The next leg of the plane's around-the-world journey will likely be a flight to New York, according to the Associated Press.聽聽