Zero-fuel plane Solar Impulse 2 (Si2) is set to resume operations from Kalealoa Airport in Hawaii to North America, following a nine-month break from its circumnavigation mission.
The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 has now entered ‘Mission Mode’ to soon commence the second part of its 40,000km flight around the world.
The aircraft has been replaced with the new batteries due to overheating problem during its first flight from Abu Dhabi, across Oman, India, Myanmar, China, and Japan until it reached Hawaii.
The record-making journey is being undertaken by founders of Solar Impulse and Swiss pilots Andre Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard.
The project is being supported by Solvay, Omega, Schindler and ABB. Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy company Masdar is a partner.
ABB Americas region president Greg Scheu said: "One of our goals for this historic round-the-world journey and for our technology partnership with Solar Impulse is to demonstrate that you can separate economic growth from environmental impacts with help from smarter and more sustainable technologies.
"Renewable energy, microgrids, battery storage, higher efficiency standards – these all show that we can power the world without consuming the earth."
The Solar Impulse 2 will now complete fly from Hawaii, over the Pacific Ocean, across North America, over the Atlantic Ocean, and across Europe or North Africa, finally reaching its departure point in Abu Dhabi.
Solar Impulse pilot and CEO André Borschberg said that the Si2 is designed to capture its own energy, convert it into electricity, and store it and manages its consumption in a sustainable way.
The circumnavigation mission of the Solar Impulse is aimed at demonstrating that these technologies are now mature and ready for commercial use.
Image: The solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 will soon commence the second part of its 40,000km flight around the world. Photo: ©Solar Impulse/Anna Pizzolante/Rezo.ch.