Flying with the sun

I just discovered that a company called Solar Impulse is experimenting with their planes by relying solely on solar energy and I'm deeply intrigued. Although their site doesn't concentrate on how the plane actually works it is a very exciting prospect. The first flight landed this morning after 26 hours of flight, the prototype is composed of 12000 photovoltaic(energy conversion) cells that are relayed onto 4 big electric motors.



This of course got the science fiction geek inside of me ecstatic and giddy. Admittedly everything is still in the experimental stage, but it's reassuring to know people are still endeavouring to break through and change the way we think about energy and new ideas. To think that in my lifetime, I might fly on Ryanair and it would be solar powered gives hope for the future. However, Solar impulse don't have the resources to take the project to that stage and the commercial plane would be hard to build (huge wingspan, tiny hull). I believe they are completing the vital foundation that could open up to commercial airlines.

When it comes to solar energy as a solution to the depletion of fossil fuels people tend to be very skeptical and I'm no different. The question is: is solar energy reliable? is it sustainable enough for a trans atlantic flight?
This bold project is starting to cast my doubts away. Plus, in a few days they will test the plane at night to evaluate its charging capacities.