Facebook’s new solar plane, “Aquila”, has finally been launched after a year since they first announced it. This 140-foot long solar plane is completely unmanned and uses less energy than three hairdryers. With this efficiency the plane is able to stay in the air for long periods of time. In fact Facebook predicts these solar planes will stay aloft for up to 3 months.
Why exactly is Facebook investing in solar planes? Well, the social media giant has a motto of connecting everyone in the world. In order to do this you need internet which many rural countries do not have access to.
Facebook’s solution is to create solar planes that provide internet to places that have little or no internet connectivity at all. These planes will beam signals to receivers on the ground. From there local communities can use the internet.
While worldwide internet connectivity is far into the future, this monumental achievement takes us one step closer to a much more modern world.
Facebook’s solar plane is also a huge step for solar advancements. Aquila is a great example of just how powerful solar is. It can be used in many different ways and is a smarter avenue of powering the world.
It is our hope that other companies will see this potential and start implementing solar into their products as well.
With that being said we should all be excited for this huge accomplishment and the future benefits that it will bring.
Other Resources:
* Aquila’s First Flight – YouTube