Aircraft are an integral part of the society, with transportation and military defense benefitting from them. Unfortunately for the environment, the aviation industry consumes so much of the world’s natural resources and produces greenhouse gas emissions. In 2015 alone, U.S. carriers used up 16.73 billion gallons of fuel and has a current carbon emission of 81.5 grams per passenger every kilometer.
Measures are being implemented to reduce these environmental impacts such as creating more efficient engines, using more lightweight materials, and testing water-powered hydrogen hybrid planes. And one experiment that has literally taken off is the Solar Impulse 2 – the first aircraft solely powered by solar energy, using nary a drop of fuel and producing no exhaust. It is now in the middle of an ambitious project of flying around the world, having just successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean.
The journey started in March 2015 in the United Arab Emirates, and the Solar Impulse 2 currently traveling across the U.S. before an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean is made. The trip has understandably encountered numerous setbacks, mainly involving the repair of the solar panels and on-board batteries. The plane also needs near-perfect weather condition to fly.
But even with all these challenges, the opportunity for the aviation industry to thrive while helping protect the environment is presently at hand.
North Star Aviation in Mankato, MN, is a fixed-based operator providing services such as avionics repair. See the other services it offers on this website.
Image source: bgr.com
Measures are being implemented to reduce these environmental impacts such as creating more efficient engines, using more lightweight materials, and testing water-powered hydrogen hybrid planes. And one experiment that has literally taken off is the Solar Impulse 2 – the first aircraft solely powered by solar energy, using nary a drop of fuel and producing no exhaust. It is now in the middle of an ambitious project of flying around the world, having just successfully crossed the Pacific Ocean.
The journey started in March 2015 in the United Arab Emirates, and the Solar Impulse 2 currently traveling across the U.S. before an attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean is made. The trip has understandably encountered numerous setbacks, mainly involving the repair of the solar panels and on-board batteries. The plane also needs near-perfect weather condition to fly.
Image source: theguardian.com
But even with all these challenges, the opportunity for the aviation industry to thrive while helping protect the environment is presently at hand.
North Star Aviation in Mankato, MN, is a fixed-based operator providing services such as avionics repair. See the other services it offers on this website.
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