Page 66 - Impiantistica Industriale - Novembre-Dicembre 2016

Solar Impulse’s flight key facts

The landing of Solar Impulse in Abu Dhabi on July 26, 2016, marked
the successful completion of the record-breaking zero- flight around
the world, the first by a solar-powered aircraft.
Solar Impulse achieved this historic milestone with stopovers on
four continents, and flights across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans
that tested the endurance of pilot and craft alike. The unpreceden-
ted journey demonstrated the great promise of renewable energy to
the world.
Instrumentation on board of Solar Impulse
• distance 43,000 km (4 continents, 2 oceans and 3 seas over-
flown)
• flight time 550 hours (23 days) access to electricity. In sub-Saharan Africa, where
• solar energy produced 11,000 kWh two-thirds of the population (620 million people)
• route simulations 17,000 live without power, microgrids could dramatically
speed up economic development. In India, they are
likely to be the best solution for many of the 14,000
villages which the government has earmarked for
electrification in the coming years under its “Power
for all” initiative.
Microgrids also have important applications in in-
dustrial and commercial sites because they help
to ensure power quality and availability. In cities af-
fected by frequent power cuts, they are a clean and
efficient alternative to diesel generators, which are
highly polluting and expensive to run, pushing up
the cost of doing business. In Kenya, for instance,
57% of businesses own generators. Microgrids
that are connected to the main power grid also
help to improve grid resiliency and reliability, for in-
stance during extreme weather events.
Microgrids also have important
applications in industrial and commercial
The microgrids installed on the wings of Solar Impulse sites because they help to ensure power
quality and availability. In cities affected by
frequent power cuts, they are a clean and
efficient alternative to diesel generators

Unlike Solar Impulse, which relies totally on solar
energy, microgrids on the ground still depend on
fossil fuels, such as diesel, for back-up power when
the wind stops blowing or the sun goes down.
However, thanks to advances in battery technol-
ogy, it is now possible to store excess renewable
energy, in much the same way as Solar Impulse
does, further reducing the need for diesel.
For instance, a newly upgraded microgrid on Ko-
diak Island, off Alaska’s south coast, derives virtual-
ly all of its 28 MW of electricity capacity from hydro-
power and wind, supported by two 1.5 MW battery
systems that take over as soon as the wind stops
blowing. Similar solutions are being installed at two
microgrids in Africa, one at ABB’s headquarters in
Johannesburg, and another at a remote windfarm
Solar Impulse in flight over Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates)

64 Impiantistica Italiana - Novembre-Dicembre 2016