IATE term of the week: Solar powered engine

2404

 Solar powered engineThis week our chosen term from IATE pays homage to a historic feat, as we celebrate the first round-the-world trip completed using a renewable energy source. On Tuesday morning, Solar Impulse 2, a plane with wings wider than that of Boeing 747, and which are equipped with more than 17 000 solar cells, has touched down in Abu Dhabi, thus marking the end of a potentially world-altering voyage. The 17-stage circumnavigation began on 9th March 2015, and covered some 42 000km, encompassing four continents, three seas, two oceans and an immensity of human commitment.

The historic journey has established 19 official aviation records, including the longest uninterrupted solo flight of 118 hours from Nagoya, Japan to Hawaii, US. However, the ultimate ambition which saw Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg pilot the plane, did not just concern adventure, or even aviation, but aimed at showcasing the potential of renewable energy. “It is more than an airplane,” Piccard would say of the Solar Impulse. “It is a concentration of clean technologies, a genuine flying laboratory, and illustrates that solutions exist today to meet the major challenges facing our society.”

The aircraft is powered by photovoltaic cells, electrical devices which convert the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect. During this, light is absorbed, causing excitation of a charge carrier, such as an electron, to a higher-energy state. An electric potential, or voltage, is produced, which is then fed to the engine used to power the plane. The plane is capable of flying almost perpetually at a speed of about 30mph, although it can go faster if the sun is bright.

Solar energy is one of the least carbon-intensive means of electricity generation, producing no emissions during its generation and bearing a significantly smaller carbon footprint than fossil fuels. Solar technologies constitute the fastest growing energy source in the world, and on this historic week, their future is looking brighter than ever. Although Piccard and Borschberg’s world journey has come to an end, the journey to a more sustainable world is just beginning.

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[su_note note_color=”#dcea0f”][su_button url=”https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScic3quXhIAJiKP7VeMtbPo8RSgzD2iAmEDucgkGGFvEd24tA/viewform” style=”flat”]Contribute to IATE![/su_button] We would welcome your contribution if you know the correct term in your language and it is among the missing ones or if it needs an update. A terminologist for the respective language will revise your answer and validate it. Given the implications of the process, a delay is to be expected.

Languages to be completed for this term in IATE: BG, CS, ET, GA, HR, HU, LA, LT, LV, PL, RO, SK SL.[/su_note]

Written by Iweta Kalinowska

Communication Trainee at TermCoord

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