Solar powered a/c

[BarrelRoll]

Did anyone try to use solar film to augment the batteries on a small (1-2kg) electric powered plane? Is it practical at all in terms of endurance and/or range for a UAV of that size?

[nschoeps]

I was part of a student group that worked on a sub-2kg platform that would be capable of solar-assisted flight (wingspan under 2M). On paper, it is possible to achieve unlimited flight times (charging batteries overnight). In practice it becomes very difficult especially when trying for autonomous flight. The group is currently flying a solar-assisted 3.1M craft and slowly building up to overnight flights. Power electronics, autonomy, wiring, and batteries add up quickly.

[dalbert02]

Check out this thread:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=572000&highlight=mit+solar
and this link
http://www.acpropulsion.com/ACP_PDFs/AC_Propulsion_Solong_UAV.pdf#search=%22A-300%20Sunpower%20Solar%20Cells%22


-dave