The QinetiQ Group’s propeller-driven Zephyr aircraft flew for 83 hours and 37 minutes, more than doubling the world record for the longest-lasting unmanned flight. The ultra-lightweight plane is built from carbon fiber and powered using paper-thin solar panels that charge its lithium-sulfur batteries during the day, allowing it to cruise through the night.
The 66 pound- (30 kilogram-) plane was launched [...]
Posts under ‘Green Tech’
Unmanned Flight Record Goes Green
Japan Building Two Gigantic Solar Power Plants
The city of Sakai, Kansai Electric Power, and Sharp are building two enormous solar power plants, dubbed the “Sakai City Waterfront Mega Solar Power Generation Plan”, by 2010. One facility will have an output of 10,000 kW, while the second plant is planned to produce 28,000 kW. The solar facilities will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by [...]
Sci-Fi Car Gets 150 mpg
This may look like a set piece out of Judge Dredd or The Fifth Element, but it could be a regular sight on the highways as early as 2012. The Antro Solo is a prototype gas-electric hybrid with an array of solar panels along the top of the vehicle to power it’s electric motor. The solar [...]
