Posted by ManilaB
There has been much discussion about just how effective and cost-efficient solar power, harnessing energy from the sun, really is. After all, sunshine is intermittent and can't be relied on for more than 12 hours a day. Although solar power is known to be clean and is an abundant, renewable source of energy, it is also expensive.
And how long can solar powered energy, collected during the day, actually last? Thanks to an experimental solar flight, tested in Switzerland, we now know for the first time that aircraft can stay aloft indefinitely by charging batteries during the day and using the stored energy at night.
The test plane, powered by solar energy alone, stayed aloft for 26 hours, and had three hours of energy left when dawn broke, and sunlight was once again available to recharge the batteries.
This was the first time a solar-powered plane had flown at night. And the first time a plane stayed aloft on solar power alone. Its success was due to solar cells on the wings which kept the batteries charged. While it is unlikely we will soon be flying solar-powered aircraft, the experiment does tell us much about how we can use solar power in our homes.
"I have just flown 26 hours without using a drop of fuel and without causing any pollution," the pilot told the press.
Here in the Philippines, the World Bank is providing a $75-million loan to SunPower Philippines to set up a solar cell manufacturing plant in Batangas.
And the Asian Development Bank (ADB) plans to promote household rooftop solar installations, starting with homes in Manila. To test this project, ADB will first install solar panels on the roof of the ADB building at the Ortigas Center in Pasig. The lampposts on Corregidor Island already are running on solar power.
China, which is a global leader in the use of solar power and produces 43 percent of the world's solar panels, has plans to double its production, to meet the growing demand.
