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Ask Slashdot: What Stands In the Way of a Truly Solar-Powered Airliner?

Posted by Soulskill on from the i-blame-gravity dept.

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?"

6 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. Let's go retro... by Flounder · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I always thought that heavy-lifting solar-powered airships would make excellent replacements for long-haul trucks.

    --

    No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

    1. Re:Let's go retro... by gman003 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Let's bring some numbers into this.

      According to this page, I can get a cargo container from Shanghai to San Francisco in 18-30 days. That's a distance of roughly 10,000km,

      The Hindenburg could reach air speeds of 135km/h. While modern airships could doubtless reach higher speeds, we're also running off solar power here. So let's just run with that 135km/h figure. That gives us about three days to cross the same distance.

      For further comparison, a Boeing 747 can make the trip in roughly 11 hours.

      So we're beating the container ship by a factor of 6-10, but the jet is beating us by a factor of 6. So we just have to have a price halfway between the two. Unfortunately, that's hard to figure out, because the container ship charges by volume, while the aircraft rates I can find charge by weight. Ultimately, though, it's a moot point, as any figure I can come up with for the costs of running a solar-powered airship will cite work by a certain Dr. M. Y. Ass.

      But hey, it might be a good niche to fit into. Faster and safer* than a container ship, but slower than a jet. Someone might be able to find a good use for that.

      * Assuming, of course, no Sky Pirates are encountered. Then all bets are off.

  2. Re:Size. by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You use the energy to synthesize liquid hydrocarbons with high energy density, then you pour them into the airplane...and you have a solar-powered airplane! Come to think of it, all airplanes are solar-powered these days, only the sunlight is of a vintage brand.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Re:The math doesn't work by faedle · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Technically, the "MPG" per passenger mile is lowest on an airplane. A fully loaded Boeing 747-400 gets the equivalent of 91 miles per gallon.

  4. Short Answer by CanHasDIY · · Score: 5, Interesting

    what stands in the way of creating true solar-powered airliners?

    Nothing.

    Oh, you meant airplanes? Yea, sorry, can't help you there.

    --
    An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  5. Re:Solar powered jet engine by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Something like a hydrogen plant on the ground that produces liquified hydrogen which is then used for fuel.

    The on-the-ground solar power collection mechanism that's currently most workable is algae. We've already had 747s fly on fuel produced from algae and algae are much more efficient than solar panels at harvesting energy from the sun. From what I've read, the only reason algae-based fuel isn't used commercially today is cost.