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Ask Slashdot: What Stands In the Way of a Truly Solar-Powered Airliner?
centre21 writes "I've been reading about solar-powered aircraft all over the Internet, as well as solar power in general. But I'm wondering: is it more than just solar cell efficiency that's preventing the creation of a solar-powered airliner? Conspiracy views aside (which may be valid), it seems to me that if I were running an airline the size of United or American, eliminating the need for jet fuel as a cost would be highly appealing. So, I'm asking: what stands in the way of creating true solar-powered airliners?"
Nothing a good kickstarter campaign cannot solve...
But if you had a solar powered jet engine you could chase the sun. And you would never need to waste energy on landing lights.
Horses are a truly renewable resource- when one wears out, sell it for meat in a foreign country (or maybe our own some day), and buy a new one. Add a buggy, and a whip to go fast, and you are green.
Brilliant! Horse drawn planes! Compared to solar powered planes, it doesn't sound that bad.
Aha! So all we need to do is build solar-powered helicopters that sits perfectly still while the Earth rotates under it until you're where you need to be!
Yeah, that would suck. You'll be stuck up there until morning.
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I was gonna say night time.
But you could use wind power then.
Like food, this sig will also pass