SolarWorld, the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar panels for more than 35 years, will showcase the maiden U.S. appearance of a zero-emissions electric aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011 in Oshkosh, Wis., starting Monday. SolarWorld and Germany�s PC Aero are working together to pioneer the world�s first comparatively affordable electric aircraft system complete with solar-equipped aircraft and solar-charging hangar.
PC Aero�s Calin Gologan will make several speaking appearances at AirVenture, which is expected to attract more than 500,000 people. Gologan will outline his vision of electric flight, including a talk as part of the SolarWorld-sponsored World Electric Aircraft Symposium on Friday, July 29. Elektra One will be on display in AirVenture�s Innovation Hangar, except at midday Wednesday, July 27, when it is expected to fly.
The single-seat Elektra One is designed for more than three hours of flight, a range of more than 250 miles, a cruising speed of more than 100 mph and zero emissions. With 1,400 propeller rotations a minute at cruising altitudes, Elektra One is nearly silent. The plane weighs 440 pounds, including battery, and can carry a payload of 220 pounds, including pilot.
SolarWorld and PC Aero are developing a new aviation filling station and hangar fitted with the company�s high-performance solar panels to service small aircraft, including the Elektra One, which also will bear SolarWorld photovoltaic cells to extend its range up to 30 percent.
�Elektra One is emblematic of a future in mobility that relies on efficient and environmentally sound electric vehicles,� said Frank Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld. �We need to stop depending on fossil fuels � and their dirty, noisy use of scarce resources � to get from one place to another. Solar power, abundant and pervasive, is the obvious choice for travel in the skies.�
The Elektra One made its maiden flight in March in Augsburg, Germany, where Gologan�s vision of marrying the aircraft with a solar-charging hangar was conceptually demonstrated. PC Aero will begin taking orders for the aircraft in Europe and the U.S. in 2012. Gologan intends for a complete system � solar-equipped airplane combined with a hangar � to be priced around $145,000, or 100,000 euro.
| SolarWorld
