Abstract:
This thesis deals with airplanes using solar energy as their only source of energy for more than 24 hours flight. Using solar panels, they collect it during the day for immediate use but also store the remaining part for the night flight. This work presents a new analytical methodology for the conceptual design of such airplane. Its major advantage lies in the fact that it is simple and versatile, which makes it applicable to a large range of airplanes of different wingspans, from the small MAV to the large manned aircraft. The ability to produce power without damaging the Environment is a continuing challenge Fossils fuels like Gasoline natural gas and coal, all come from Non-renewable sources and when burned, increase the Level of air pollution and may harm the environment. Batteries, such as those found in flashlight and MP3 Players, have limited lifetimes and often end up being disposed of in landfills. There are many environmental friendly alternative available today such as wind energy, geothermal, hydroelectric power plant and finally solar energy. The Sun emits a tremendous amount of energy every second of every day. Only a very small fraction of the Sun’s energy ever makes it to the Earth, but it’s still an incredibly large amount. A lot of that energy is already used in the form of heat, or by plants needing the light for photosynthesis, converting carbon dioxide into sugars and eventually releasing breathable oxygen, but it still leaves a large portion un-used and ready for capture. Solar aircraft is one of the ways to utilize solar energy. Solar aircraft uses solar panel to collect the solar radiation for immediate use but it also store the remaining part for the night flight. This paper intended to stimulate research on renewable energy sources for aviation. In future solar powered airplanes could be used for different types of aerial monitoring and unmanned flights. This synopsis briefly shows history, application, working, advantages, and disadvantage of solar aircraft and concludes by stating the need to utilize free solar energy for aviation.
