SOLAR POWER THE FUTURE OF AVIATION INDUSTRY

Solar powered aircraft capable of continuous flight was a dream some years ago, but this great challenge has become feasible today. Quite a few manned and unmanned solar powered aircraft have been developed and flown in the last 30 years. The research activities carried out till now have been mainly focused on flying wings or conventional aircraft configurations, with a great emphasis on the technological aspects. Solar powered aircraft uses solar panel to collect the solar radiation for immediate use but it also store the remaining part forthe night flight. The paper deals with the current state of art of empower the aviation industry with solar power and the shortcoming and the future aspect.