WEP 2012: Bertrand Piccard - Solar Impulse And The Untapped Potential Of Renewable Energy
"I flew around the world non-stop in a hot-air balloon in 1999. This was a feat many at the time said was impossible," says Dr. Bertrand Piccard, President of Solar Impulse and keynote speaker at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) 2012 Winter Enrichment Program (WEP 2012).
"We started with 3.7 tonnes of liquid propane and landed after flying 20 days and 40,000 kilometers non-stop with only 40 kilograms remaining. After seeing how much we had relied on fuel, I made a promise to myself that I would fly around the world with no fuel, using solar power, batteries and other clean technologies".
Redefining exploration
After piloting the first non-stop round the world balloon flight in 1999 (for which he holds a world record), Dr. Piccard had come to the realization that the traditional definitions of "exploration" and "pioneer" were now defunct. He believes individuals who successfully demonstrate the energy potential of clean technologies such as solar power, wind power and biofuel, will define the future.
"I thought, what was left in the world for pioneers to explore? What could we do for adventure? The last millennium had been great for exploration. Humanity had conquered the North Pole, the South Pole, the Mariana Trench, Mount Everest, space and the Moon. Everything had been conquered," Dr. Piccard told students during his keynote seminar, Solar Impulse: A New Vision of Sustainable Development in the Campus Auditorium.
"I came to the conclusion that there is nothing left to conquer, but there is much left to explore and achieve. We now have to think in terms of pioneering and adventuring for sustainability and better quality of life."
Dr. Piccard comes from a family of adventurous, record-breaking engineers and scientists. His grandfather Auguste, a peer of Albert Einstein and friend of Marie Curie, made modern aviation a reality in the 1930s through his invention of the pressurized air cabin and stratospheric balloon. In 1931 he became the first man to enter the Earth's stratosphere after successfully ascending 16,000 feet in his invention. The creator of Tintin, Hergé, used Auguste Piccard as his inspiration for his character of Professor Calculus.
His father, Jacques, was an oceanographer who developed underwater vehicles vital to the study of ocean currents. Along with Don Walsh, Jacques holds the world record for the deepest underwater dive. In 1960 the two used a submersible, developed by Auguste Piccard, to travel seven miles beneath the Pacific Ocean to explore the Mariana Trench – the deepest undersea area in the world.
Continuing his family's pioneering spirit, Dr. Piccard announced the Solar Impulse project in 2003. This venture would eventually result in the first overnight manned-flight of a plane powered solely by the sun.
Engineering the impossible
"If a solar-powered aircraft has the ability to fly day and night with no fuel, then there is the possibility that one day it could fly around the world," explains Dr. Piccard. "And if that happens, then no one could say that solar-power can't be used for cars, computers, air-conditioning and other electronic devices."
When Dr. Piccard's team approached airplane manufacturers for construction of Solar Impulse, they were told that such a plane was impossible to build. "Instead, we approached a shipbuilder to construct our plane," said Dr. Piccard.
"We needed people who had no idea about airplanes and who didn't think that constructing such a plane was impossible." The shipbuilder managed to successfully build the lightweight carbon-fiber frame of the plane.
The project garnered many industry sponsors and scientific collaborators including KAUST Provost, Professor Stefan Catsicas and his previous university, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL). Through the impetus of Dr. Piccard and Professor Catsicas, EPFL carried out a feasibility study on the prospect of a solar, round-the-world flight. This study produced positive results that enabled the project to begin in 2003.
The Solar Impulse aircraft has a wingspan of 64 meters (the same as an Airbus 340), it weighs less than a family car at 1600 kilograms and uses the solar energy equivalent of a small motor-cycle. The plane gathers flight via electric propulsion that is powered by solar energy. For overnight flying the batteries store solar energy that is collected during daytime flight.
After several test flights, the plane made its first full overnight flight in July 2010. The flight duration was 26 hours. "The only reason we stopped was because our pilot was tired, it could have stayed airborne for much longer," remarks Dr. Piccard.
The Solar Impulse team are now working on a second plane that will feature a high-performance cockpit, light-weight communications system and the capability of flying for several days continuously.
Explore the unachievable
Dr. Piccard hopes the project will continue to inspire as a symbol of pioneering spirit and renewable energy. "We cannot have growth if we push people to use technologies and energies that they already have. People need clean technologies. "We cannot do more by doing more of the same," said Dr. Piccard. "We have to make paradigm shifts. Solar Impulse was testament to what can be achieved today with new technologies.
"Solar Impulse is not just an aircraft. It symbolizes what can be achieved if we think outside of the box and add a sense of adventure back to our daily lives. The project is an ambassador of renewable energies and the pioneering spirit."
Embrace the unknown and explore the unthinkable
Dr. Piccard finished his seminar by encouraging students and all members of the KAUST community to "embrace the unknown" and continue with their "research without walls" mantra. "The unknown is part of life," Dr. Piccard said.
"In that sense, ballooning is a beautiful metaphor. In a balloon, like in life, we go in unforeseen directions…but as long as we fight horizontally against life, against the winds, against what is happening to us, life is a nightmare. In the balloon, it is easy. We have ballast and when we drop ballast, we climb. I think life should be exactly like this," he said.
"Throw overboard the ballast, the habits, certainties, convictions, paradigms, and dogmas and embrace a pioneering spirit. We should take impossible goals – as impossible as going to the moon – and try to achieve them for a better and sustainable quality of life. And sometimes, we have to go in exactly the opposite direction from what we are certain is the best solution."
"What is entrepreneurship? What is adventure? It is each time we take a risk or explore new areas of thinking," said Dr. Piccard "View the world with the eye of the entrepreneur, pioneer and explorer. This is what our planet needs."
For more information visit the official WEP 2012 website for all the latest program information. Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook. If you are tweeting about the event please use the hashtag, #wep2012.