“Solar Impulse 2” the solar plane took off from Mandalay Airport in Myanmar, at nine pm GMT Sunday, heading for Chongqing city in China, where it would stop for a while before starting its journey to Nanjing on the east coast of China. This journey was about 1, 375 kilometers, and was expected to take about 19 hours.
Later on, Solar Impulse 2 would start a journey across the Pacific Ocean, which would take five days and five nights down to Hawaii, and then to the United States mainland.
This is the twentieth day since the start of its adventure from Abu Dhabi. It is expected that the plane end its journey around the globe across 12 stations, before returning back to Abu Dhabi after a few months.
The two wings of “Solar Impulse 2” are about 72 meters each, which is longer than the wings of a Boeing 747, but weighs only 2.3 tons. “Solar Impulse 2” four engines rely on electricity generated by 17 solar cells which covers the top layer of its two wings covers. During the night, the plane runs its engines using the excess energy generated during the day and stored in its lithium-ion batteries.
The plane will not consume a drop of fuel during its journey so it carries a clear message of renewable energy use.
