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How to Make Solar Powered Planes

The concept of solar powered flight took a great leap forward in 2010. The Swiss-based Solar Impulse project made aviation history by flying a manned mission through the day and night for 26 hours, using only solar power. This was followed by the British-designed Zephyr solar-powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) record-breaking two-week non-stop test flight. These high end designs utilize a combination of solar cells and lithium-ion batteries to power the electric motor turning propellers. It is possible to use similar technology to make your own solar powered remote controlled UAV.

Things You'll Need

Aircraft design pattern
Styrofoam
Carbon aramid
Fiber glass
Balsa wood
Non-reflective polymer film
Flexible solar cells
Carbon propellers
Carbon rods
Propulsion motor
Servo motors
MPPT
Lithium-ion batteries
Circuit boards
Electrical wiring

Instructions

- 1
  Calculate the size and type of a integral components of your projected airplane such as motor, solar cells and batteries and make a rough estimation of their total mass. From this value, you can size the wing surface area and propulsion power needed to enable flight.
- 2
  Design your aircraft. Many free radio-controlled aircraft designs are available on the Internet from which you can base your design.
- 3
  Use styrofoam as the main element for your wings and fuselage. It is important to minimize the weight of your plane to maximize flying potential. For best results, invest in a computer-controlled hot-wire foam cutting machine to create your chosen design. Utilize carbon fiber and balsa wood to reinforce the wings in readiness for the attachment of the solar cells. Encase the fuselage in glass fiber to house and protect the components and electronic devices. Make holes to facilitate the wiring and connection of electronic circuitry.
- 4
  Connect carbon blade propellers to a motorized gearbox, located in the nose of the aircraft. The plane's control surfaces (ailerons attached to the rear outboard section of an aircraft's wings, used in conjunction with the rudder to turn an aircraft) are connected and controlled by servomotors housed in the fuselage via flexible carbon rods.
- 5
  Encapsulate the configured solar cells between a symmetrical laminate and a fiberglass-reinforced non-reflective polymer coating. Then use silicon glue to attach them directly onto the wings. They will, depending on the sunlight and elevation in the sky, convert light into electrical energy. This generated power goes through a Maximum Power Point Tracker (MPPT) located in the fuselage, which acts a converter that ensures the cells are working at their maximum power. The MPPT supplies the power to the propulsion components and on-board electronics, then charges the battery bank with the surplus of energy. During the night, as no more power comes from the solar panels, the various elements consuming energy are supplied by the battery that must last until the next morning when a new cycle starts.

Aviation