How Do You Say 'Mark It, Dude' In Swiss?

One thing is for certain: there's nothing eco-friendly about travel by airline. Aircraft engines sputter huge amounts of pollutants while in the air. Another certainty is that our skies are only becoming more and more congested with these noisy, fuming creatures. To remedy this problem, the governments of the U.S. and Europe have considered various measures for curbing airline pollution, such as taxes, emission standards, etc. But really, as more airlines take flight everyday, it's unlikely that these measures will make any long-term positive impact.

This is where Solar Impulse comes onto the scene. As of yesterday morning, the first night flight by a solar-powered aircraft was completed. Solar Impulse's HB-SIA aircraft lifted off the previous morning in Switzerland, spent the day charging its batteries at high altitude, and then spent the night running solely on those batteries thanks to the four electric engines that propel the craft. After 26 hours of flight, the HB-SIA returned to its home airfield and landed.

The plane itself is really quite simple. Essentially, it is a lightweight glider with an immense wingspan fitted with four electric propeller engines. The top of the extra-wide wing is covered with thousands of solar cells, which charge the polymer lithium batteries. And dangling from underneath the expanse of wing is a small cockpit that holds only one pilot. After its first successful night flight, the Solar Impulse team's next challenges include a trans-Atlantic flight and a round-the-world flight, both slated to be attempted within the next 3 years.

It should be noted that the power required to keep a large airliner packed with travelers in the sky is quite immense, so don't expect to see a fleet of solar-powered Boeing 747s anytime soon. But it is reasonable to think of this flight as a rather large leap in that direction. After all, it wasn't really all that long ago that sustained passenger flight was considered impossible even with conventional aircraft (Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic took place just over 83 years ago). If you want to hear my prediction (which I know you don't because it means absolutely nothing...I'm not an expert in aviation or renewable energy), I'd be willing to bet that I will fly on a solar-powered aircraft in my lifetime.

So there.

Our Own Little Solar Farm

For those living in Columbia who venture over to West Ash Street once in a while, you may have noticed a curious property that sits across the street from the rear fence of Shelter Gardens. There, in the midst of mall-area hustle and bustle is an open grassy expanse. And nestled into one corner of this city-owned field are two solar panels. There is a sign that reads 'Columbia Solar Initiative' or 'Columbia Solar Plant' or some such thing. Avid readers of this blog (a joke of course...I'm not entirely sure I have a single reader, let alone avid readers) will know by now that I have a particular interest in renewable energy and climate change, and so this strange property has always fascinated me. Why did the city plop two solar panels in the middle of Columbia-proper? Why are there only two solar panels in an area that could hold dozens? Why are they hidden in the corner? I've pondered these questions for months now, and as it turns out, so have the semi-competent reporters at the Columbia Missourian.

An article appearing in the Missourian in early 2008 indicates that Dow Chemical Co received a small grant to undertake feasibility studies of integrating solar energy into city power grids. So Dow partnered with the City of Columbia, and with the help of Missouri Solar Applications, built a rather puny 'solar power plant.' In another article later that same year, the Missourian reported that the city had begun selling power to residential households for a somewhat nominal fee. The project, which goes by the name of Solar One, allows a small number of Columbia residents to receive a portion of their energy from the source on West Ash, along with energy purchased by the city from a small array of solar panels on the roof of the Quaker Oats facility on Highway B. According to their website, it is anticipated that the project will continue to grow as other businesses add solar collection capabilities, after which the city will purchase a portion of the energy produced and distribute it to subscribing residents. If you're interested and would like to know more about this project, there's a pretty good video that can be found here.

After learning about the project, I'm pretty excited about it and I hope that they're able to meet their goal of producing 1% of Columbia's entire energy portfolio from solar by 2023. But their goal, while I'm sure is substantial and probably quite a challenge, seems a bit meager to me. Rather than relying on purchasing power from local residents, it seems like the city might be better off requesting funding via grants and other sources to expand their own solar power capabilities. I realize that the panels and auxiliary equipment are quite expensive, but the ideal vision that I see for Columbia's future is to turn the property on West Ash into a fully functioning solar farm, filled corner to corner with solar panel arrays. I can think of other city-owned locations where solar panels could be erected, too. Sure, 1% is great, but let's shoot for 10%...20%...50%. Go big or go home!

I know this won't happen anytime soon, but as the technology becomes cheaper and simultaneously more efficient, it could happen sooner than most of us think. In fact, I think I'll keep an eye on the West Ash Street property for signs of construction. Who knows, maybe the folks at Solar One and I are on the same page.