SunPower and Solar Impulse join forces

SunPower has been chosen to supply its photovoltaic cells to Solar Impulse’s new solar airplane, HB-SIB, which will attempt to circumnavigate the globe in 2014
Around 22,000 cells will be used in Solar Impulse’s second solar airplane. They are expected to power the electrical engines; excess solar energy will then be stored in lithium batteries for night flying. SunPower says its product was chosen due to both the high efficiency of its cells, 22.7 percent, and their 135 micron thickness.
“SunPower’s solar cells are optimum for this project, as they offer the performance and low-weight that is needed for our revolutionary solar airplanes,” said Andre Borschberg, Solar Impulse co-founder and CEO.
This is the second time that SunPower has supplied its cells to Solar Impulse. The company was also involved in the first solar airplane project, which saw a  world record broken in 2010 when it succeeded in flying for 26 consecutive hours powered only by solar energy… (more)