Solar Powered UAVs
The current flight times of unmanned aerial vehicles are limited by the battery life of the system. One way to improve flight time would be to implement solar power. While there are a number of issues associated with flying drones for long periods — such as the risk of the drone losing connectivity with its controller — utilizing solar energy to power a drone can help reduce the need for drones to return to their base for charging.
With the right combination of solar technology and storage, a drone has the potential to run for longer distances. This means less time on the ground, regardless of the purpose it’s serving.
So what exactly are solar UAV’s?
Solar UAVs are defined as drones that use solar cells powered directly from the sun.
Manufacturers looking to build solar drone products that will run as long as possible will typically look for the most lightweight solar solution (such as thin-film products), as the heavier the solar cells are, the more power it will take to keep the drone in the air. Ideally, these solar cells will also have as high efficiency as possible, given that drones will typically have limited surface space available to place solar cells.
The solar energy used to fuel the drone is renewable as well! This means spending less money on drawing electricity from the grid to power the drones.
A few examples of companies that are developing Solar powered UAVs are
- Airbus (QinetiQ)
- Boeing Phantom Works
- Titan Aerospace
- Sunbirds
- AeroVironoment
- NASA [Pathfinder, Helios]
- Aviation industry corporation of China [Morning Star]
What do you think about the concept of a Solar UAV? Let us know below in the comments.
Written by : Anjali K Rao
If you have any specific topic or aircraft you would like us to cover, please do let us know :D
The Aeronautical Industry peaks our interest and we strive to cover everything and anything happening in the skies.
