Plane takes off to fly around the world using solar energy!

Without using a drop of fuel, this plane sets out to fly around the world...

The first plane of its kind to fly around the world using solely solar energy has launched in Abu Dhabi, making a journey to promote green energy on a massive scale.

Delayed on saturday due to high winds, the Solar Impulse 2 is underway on its journey! After 13 years of research and testing by Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, it's up in the air.

According to the ABC:

"This project is a human project, it is a human challenge," Mr Borschberg, the co-founder and chief executive of Solar Impulse, said on Sunday.

This is a one-seater plane, and the wingspan is slightly bigger than a jumbo jet, it weighs about the same as a family car. The solar plane is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells built into the winds. This plane is the first solar-powered aircraft able to stay in the air for several days and nights.

The plane departed from Al-Bateen airport at 7:12 am, piloted by Mr Borschberg. It is ecpexted to arrive in Muscat later on Monday, marking the fist leg of it's journey. From there it will make 12 stops spread over 5 months, with a total flight time of 25 days.

It's path, according to the ABC, first it will cross the Arabian Sea to India, then onto Myanmar, China, Hawaii and New York. Landings will depend on weather conditions, however are planned for the Midwestern United Stated or southern Europe or North Africa.

The longest leg will be a 5 day non-stop flight across the Pacific Ocean between Nanjing, China and Hawaii, resulting in a complete distance of 8,500 kilometres.

Pilotting will alternate between Mr Borshber and Mr Piccard as the plane can only hold one person.

"We want to share our vision of a clean future," Solar Impulse chairman Mr Piccard said.

"Climate change is a fantastic opportunity to bring [into] the market new green technologies that save energy, save natural resources of our planet, make profit, create jobs, and sustain growth."

This is exciting to see the lengths clean energy can go to and how it can achieve the impossible. This reminds me of that fable where the father fashions his own wings in order to fly, he arises closer and closer to the sun only to eventually fall...well now we have discovered solar energy that will ensure we stay aloft!