A lightweight solar-powered plane

On "Human inventiveness"

FIRST MANNED SOLAR-POWERED PLANE

This solar aircraft have crossed the continent, soared almost three times higher than jet airliners and even flown through the night.

Solar Impulse plans to begin flight testing its eponymous aircraft next fall and hopes to make a transatlantic flight in 2011, followed by the first flight around the world in a solar plane.

The proposed pilot is the famous Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard, who already set a record in 1999, when turn the globe without scales in a bit less than 20 days.

It still has a lot of challenges but seems to have lot of applications in a very close future.

http://www.solarimpulse.com/

http://www.bertrandpiccard.com/fr/index.php

Solar Islands

On "Human Inventivness"

Solar Islands, in search of energy and other co-applications of the process.

This new fabulous application of the solar energy is being developed among the Arabic countries, bringing lots of expectations. Built either over the see or a defined area.

Countries along the Persian Gulf have enormous investments in desalinization plants to produce their drinkable water. For them it seems to be an amazing solution. A "solar island" has been already tested by its designers in the emirat Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE, in August 2009 (CSEM concept, Swiss company).

Look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1XyR3YOVZQ

http://www.solar-islands.com/