Soaring to new (clean energy) heights
9 September 2020 at 2:24 pm
It’s hoped the world’s first solar powered skydive will send a strong message about the potential of renewable energy
If skydiving is on your bucket list, there might soon be a way you can tick it off without hurting the environment, following the world’s first skydive from a solar-powered aircraft.
Created by SolarStratos, the two-seater plane soared to a height of 1,520 metres over western Switzerland for the jump, emitting zero CO2 emissions in the process.
The clean energy used to power the plane also meant that for the first time, skydiver and head of the project Raphael Domjan was able to fall safely to the ground in “absolute silence”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEW9XKVo_V2/?utm_source=ig_embed
Domjan told Reuters he was proud of the achievement and said it signalled hope for the future of renewables.
“Today there were many firsts but the most important is [this is] the first time ever that someone jumped from an electric aircraft,” Domjan said.
“And this is something that is changing the future for this sport for sky divers.”
Domjan reached a speed of 150 kilometres per hour during his jump, landing near the project base in Payerne, Switzerland.
SolarStratos will try to reach new heights in 2022, aiming to carry out a solar-powered high-altitude flight with an altitude of 20,000 metres.
