Solar plane

Surely one of the things all of us enjoy is traveling. It's a great way to expand your horizon and learn more about different countries and cultures. Luckily, Europe is well-connected through busses and trains. But what if you want to travel further away and visit different continents? The plane is still the fasted and most convenient option to do so. However, aviation is causing huge amounts of CO2 emissions every year and are therefor not the greenest option when it comes to traveling. Wouldn't it be great to not pollute the air while flying?

Well, the first steps towards this dream have just ben taken by an ambitious project called Solar Impulse- around the world in a solar airplane. The goal is to fly around the world in this single-seater aircraft which is fully operated by the 17.000 solar cells that are built into its wings. Departing early March in Abu Dhabi, the route of Solar Impulse will include stops in Oman, India and China. After passing the Atlantic Ocean, the solar plane will fly across the Continental U.S.A. and Southern Europe before arriving back in Abu Dhabi by late July or early August 2015. During the day, the planes batteries are recharged through solar cells. Those batteries are used top operate the aircraft at night without a single drop of fuel.

Solar plane. Credits to Solar Impulse

To this day, Solar Impulse is the only solar panel operated airplane that can fly day and night. Pretty amazing, huh? It's design allows the aircraft to stay in the air up to 36 hours in a row. This is partly due to the materials used for construction: carbon fiber. This light weight product results the airplane to weigh as much as an average car which is around 2.300kg. We are enthusiastic about this project and wish a save flight.

To sum it up, here is a quote from the website of the Solar Impulse project which stresses on the importance of innovations in the sustainability sector: "What better way to demonstrate the importance of the pioneering, innovatory spirit than by achieving 'impossible' things with renewable energy and highlighting new solutions for environmental problems?" For more information and updates about this journey, check out their website http://info.solarimpulse.com/.

Wie is Theresa?
Hello, I'm Theresa (24) and the new Event Management intern for the Koelestudenten. I will be assisting with the planning and organization for upcoming events. I live in Holland since last year and really enjoy my time here so far. Everyone is on bikes! Back in Germany, I studied Art History and Literature. After finishing my Bachelor, I decided that it was time to follow my strong commitment towards the environment instead of working in the art sector. That is why I decided to work for Koelestudenten. There is plenty for me to learn here and I'm excited for this new challenge. In my free time, I enjoy reading a good book, being in nature and seeing different places of the world.