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The cost of developing the solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse 2 has been around $150 million over the past 13 years. That amount would seem negligible if we consider the immense potential of developing innovative and sustainable solutions based on the path-breaking technology. While none of the companies associated closely with the project wanted to put a figure to it, many have already developed 'go-to-market' products and solutions, based on their experience of working on the aircraft.
For example, Bayer MaterialScience AG has developed polycarbonate sheets in the cabin window of the aircraft, which has the potential to replace conventional glass windshields in cars. According to a Bayer spokesperson present at the Ahmedabad event, this has the potential to reduce the weight of the part by 30 per cent and thus enhance the fuel efficiency of the car. The company is, in fact, in talks with all major automobile players globally to adopt the technology.
"China is seeing a lot of new car plants coming up, and there could be a huge potential for such technology there, because the existing plants would require investments in re-tooling to adopt such technology," said Richard Northcote, chief sustainability officer, Bayer MaterialScience. In fact, the company has applied for 12 patents related to its technological innovations for the Solar Impulse 2.
There could be many such downstream applications of the technologies that have gone in to develop this aircraft and keeping it airborne. Around 80 companies across the globe have partnered with the project. As Bertrand Piccard, one of the two pilots of the plane suggested, "There is a plan to develop an unmanned version of this aircraft, which would be able to fly 20 km above ground and do some of the tasks that conventional satellites do these days. This aircraft would be capable of flying in the air for six months at a stretch." He feels this indeed would be a more affordable and sustainable solution to traditional satellites hovering around the earth.
Coming to another key partner of the project, Bangalore-based ABB India - the world's second largest supplier of solar inverters and also a leading supplier to the wind-power industry - has had three of its engineers working full-time with the Solar Impulse team. "There is a huge potential for applying such technology for solar inverters, for solar powered agricultural pumps. Imagine, a solar pump pumping water into the fields at night while the farmer is fast asleep," said Subir Pal, president, discrete automation and motion, India, ABB India Ltd.
Another firm, Dassault Systemes, has already put its 3D designing technology to good use by tying up with several firms in the country. The firm feels this could virtually transform the landscape of the Indian manufacturing industry. Chandan Chowdhury, managing director of the $3.2-billion French software firm Dassault Systemes, based in Gurgaon in India, said his company had developed a 3D experience platform, along with applications that allowed the engineers to not only design the aircraft in 3D but also gauge which design was giving the optimum performance, as well calculate the weight of the aircraft among several other parameters.
"We already have 6,500 customers in India, and last year we acquired over 21,000 customers globally. Leading automotive companies like Ashok Leyland, Tata Motors (especially its Jaguar Land Rover division), Hero MotoCorp, Honda and Mahindra are using our technology apart from about 100 mining firms," said Chowdhury.
