# Round-the-World Green Flights Solar-Cell Hy-Bird By Wessley Murylo | Published 2008-05-02 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hy-bird-flies-powered-by-solar-cells-a-green-round-the-world-flight References: [lisa-airplanes](http://www.lisa-airplanes.com/uk/hy-bird/hy-bird.php) & [creatingexcellence.blogspot](http://creatingexcellence.blogspot.com/2008/05/hy-bird-flies-powered-by-solar-cells.html) The Hy-Bird, a hydrogen-powered electric airplane that gets 10% of its power through solar-cells, is made of super-lightweight (and expensive) carbon fibre. The French company behind it, Lisa Airplanes, states that the power system will allow the plane to circumnavigate the globe in 3,000 km stages. The combination of a rigid carbon wing and a flexible textile flap allows the craft to take-off and land in less than 330 feet, whilst ensuring the highest cruising speeds. When the textile is opened, the surface of the wing is increased by nearly 70% and a camber is created. The future for leisure aviation will undoubtedly lead to a need for a reduction in noise and CO2 pollution. A plane with an optimized aerodynamic form is perfectly adapted for electrical propulsion. The first plane, the “Spirit of Savoy” will fly from Chambéry, France to New York, materializing the extensive research and development work of specialists in the fields of solar energy, fuel cells, lithium-ion polymer batteries and electrical conversion. With the exception of solar energy, the other energy resources used, although clean and with an almost zero carbon footprint, are not renewable. They need hydrogen, at this moment, almost exclusively derived from natural gas, an energy source also doomed to run out soon, but as said it is clean, especially regarding greenhouse gases. The next step in the research program should be the replacement of hydrogen from natural gas by a clean energy from renewable resources. Nevertheless, the scheduled flight this summer is a milestone. The Hy-Bird will become the first plane to fly around the world using only “green” energies: solar energy and hydrogen. It will be a technological and ecological challenge, and last but not least, a human challenge. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.4/10 - Popularity: 33% | Activity: 2% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Green Aviation:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop sustainable and eco-friendly aviation technologies to reduce noise and CO2 pollution. - **Renewable Energy:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Replace hydrogen derived from natural gas with clean energy from renewable resources. - **Electrical Propulsion:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Optimize aerodynamic forms for electrical propulsion in aviation. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Aerospace:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Introduce green aviation technologies and renewable energy sources in the aerospace industry. - **Solar Energy:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Enhance solar energy technologies for sustainable aviation. - **Renewable Energy:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop renewable energy solutions to replace hydrogen derived from natural gas in various industries. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Zero-Emission Solar-Powered Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/falcon-horizon.md) - [Renewable Energy Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/solarpowered-aircraft.md) - [Emissions-Free eVTOL Aircraft](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emissionsfree-evtol-aircraft.md) - [Decarbonizing Demonstrator Aircraft](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/demonstrator-aircraft.md) - [Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Engines](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/airbus.md) - [Regional Electric Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wright-spirit.md) - [Eco-Friendly Stratospheric Aircrafts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sceye-haps.md) - [Hybrid-Electric Seaplanes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tidal-flight.md) - [Hydrogen-Powered Hypersonic Airplanes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sky-magnetar.md)