Solar Impulse 2 circles globe fueled by sun power

The Solar Impulse 2 plane has landed in Abu Dhabi more than a year after its initial take off, completing the first round-the-world flight to be powered exclusively by the sun’s energy.

The Solar Impulse 2, piloted by Bertrand Piccard for its final leg, made the trip in 17 legs, flying around the Northern hemisphere with stops in nine countries.

He has been taking turns at the controls with Swiss compatriot Andre Borschberg, with the mission aiming to promote renewable energy.

It capped a remarkable 43,000-kilometre (26,700-mile) journey across four continents, two oceans and three seas, accomplished in 23 days of flying without using a drop of fuel.

The team completed a record-breaking longest solar flight across the pacific from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii – 117 hours and 52 minutes.

German test pilot Markus Scherdel steers the solar-powered Solar Impulse 2 aircraft with the Mont-Blanc in background during a training flight at its base in Payerne, September 27, 2014.

“This is not only a first in the history of aviation; it’s before all a first in the history of energy”, Piccard said.

The aircraft is covered with 17,248 solar panels, has on-board batteries that allow it to fly at night, and weighs about as much as a 4WD. Watch video of the plane landing here! You can fly now longer without fuel than with fuel, and you fly with the force of nature, you fly with the sun. The trip was delayed another week in Cairo before beginning its final flight to Abu Dhabi, due to Piccard becoming ill and poor weather conditions.

But solar power may be a tough sell for commercial carriers in the near-term, as they’re enjoying historically low fuel prices these days.

During the flight, the two-man crew logged 500 flying hours. “We have flown 40,000km, but now it is up to other people to take it further”, stated the aircraft pilot, Captain Bertrand Piccard.

According to Solar Impulse 2 website, the plane flew over Saudi Arabia and reached an altitude that surpassed 30,000 feet. This flight by Andre Borschberg gave Solar Impulse 2 the record for the longest solo flight.

It took 70 hours for Piccard to cross the Atlantic Ocean, which was the first by a solar-powered airplane. The first solar-only circumnavigation in history originated in Abu Dhabi just over a year ago. The world is crying out for more engineers and scientists, and projects such as Solar Impulse show how exciting science and engineering can be.