No, You Can’t Have a Solar-Powered Passenger Plane

The space astatine which the airy hits the panel, θ, is measured from a enactment perpendicular to the surface. This means you volition get a maximum star sheet powerfulness erstwhile the airy is shining straight-on (θ = 0), since cosine(0) = 1.

OK, let's bash a speedy calculation. The strength of sunlight astatine the determination of the Earth is astir 1,361 watts per quadrate meter. So, let's accidental our star sheet is 1 metre by 1 metre with an ratio of 25 percent (which is precise optimistic). If the airy hits astatine a 30-degree angle, this star sheet would springiness america a powerfulness of 294.7 watts.

Well, our solar-powered 737 is going to request a lot much powerfulness than that. We tin cipher the aboveground country needed to make 10 cardinal watts. For simplicity, let's presume the airy is perpendicular to the panels (obviously not realistic). With this, we'd request 29,000 quadrate meters of panels.

Just for comparison, the 737 has a helping country of 125 quadrate meters. If it was covered with star panels it would make 42 kilowatts. That's nice, but not astir bully capable for a rider airliner. To beryllium specific, it's 0.4 percent of the powerfulness you'd request to stay successful the sky.

Bottom line, it's beauteous hard to envision immoderate mode of making a solar-powered rider liner. However, that doesn't regularisation retired electrical airplanes altogether! We mightiness person immoderate bully battery-powered planes someday.

Oh, but what astir those existent solar-powered planes? The cardinal is to alert slower with a little wide truthful that the resistance unit is smaller. If the wings are large enough, it's imaginable to get capable powerfulness to fly—until it gets cloudy.