Skydweller is the new Spanish plane that moves thanks to the energy of its solar panels. It is larger than a Boeing 747 and has more than 17,000 solar cells.
Aeronautics faces new challenges as the world moves towards cleaner, more efficient and renewable energy sources. Something like what happens with the electric car in the automobile market, planes must gradually modify their propulsion systems in order to reduce emissions of polluting particles into the atmosphere.
Although it is not a pioneer in this area, the Skydweller is a Spanish plane that moves thanks to the energy of its solar panels that follows the path established, first by the Voyager in 1968 and, later, by the Solar Impulse in 2016, which It crossed the Earth’s sphere in a 505-day journey using only solar energy.
Skydweller, this is the new Spanish plane that moves thanks to the energy of its solar panels
The Skydweller was born from a generation of new aircraft, an aircraft created by the Spanish and American company Skydweller Aero, which bought the Solar Impulse prototype and its intellectual property to continue developing its technology.
The company and its engineers have worked on the original prototype to turn it into an aircraft capable of performing the work of a satellite in orbit, but with greater flexibility and without a carbon footprint, as explained in El Economista.
The Skydweller is unmanned, equipped with solar panels, a green hydrogen fuel cell and high-capacity batteries that can store excess energy produced in daylight hours for use at night.
This new Spanish aircraft has a wingspan of 72 meters and a weight of just 2,500 kilos. It can fly at a maximum height of 13,500 meters and its cruising speed ranges between 45 and 90 km/h.
Although not intended for commercial flights, due to its speed and capacity, the Skydweller can perform many other functions, such as detecting long-range maritime targets and monitoring traffic within a large specified area.
Its technology also allows it to control fishing, carry out ocean studies, climate and atmospheric phenomenon research, control air quality and forest areas, locate fires, detect illegal activities or survey the land thanks to its multiple sensors.
It can also be used as a flying telecommunications tower, providing more broadband per square kilometer and offering 5G service in remote locations, emergency situations or large events. Skydweller Aero has already signed a collaboration agreement with Telefónica to explore new connectivity solutions.
The Skydweller has already carried out test flights in Valdepeñas, where the company’s headquarters are located, and in Albacete, where there is also a temporary flight test center. Skydweller employs 120 people in Spain and another 20 in the United States, and will now carry out a campaign with the US and France in the Caribbean.
