The first solar-powered electric aircraft charging point in Europe has been completed in England, for use in charging light electric aircraft used in providing a lifeline to some of the world’s most remote communities.
The fcharging point at the Old Buckenham Airfield in East Anglia is the result of collaboration between the Airfield, electric light aircraft pioneers Nuncats, Q Cells and renewable energy developer Renenergy.
Nuncats, which stands for No Unnecessary Novelty, Community Air Transport Systems, uses light electric aircraft and solar powered generation to provide what it describes as “a dependable lifeline for the world’s remote communities.”
The new solar-powered charging point uses 33 Q.Peak L-G8 Q Cells solar modules installed on top of a shelter specially adapted to house the Zenith 750 aircraft, or ‘electric sky jeep’, which has been running a series of test flights to demonstrate the benefits and capabilities of renewable-powered light aviation.
The adapted Zenith 750 boasts a 30kWh battery, which is enough to power a 30-minute flight, determined to be the base minimum for efficacy in rural parts of the world. The switch to electric light planes, aims to help avoid the costs and difficulties of relying on traditional fuels and refuelling facilities, which are both scarce and polluting.
“In developed economies, the benefits of electric planes are very much about reducing CO2 and noise emissions,” said Nuncats’ co-founder Tim Bridge.
“For the rest of the world, a major untapped benefit of electric aircraft is that they can provide a resilient, low-maintenance transit alternative that is de-coupled from fossil fuel supply chains.”
The makeshift plane port-slash-solar canopy powers a single-phase charger run at 5kW and is powered by Q Cells’ modules that are guaranteed for high performance, high yield per surface area, and an efficiency rate of up to 20.3%.
“Solar power has torn down all sorts of barriers to sustainable progress over the past few years, and the aviation industry is next in its sights,” said Ross Kent, Head of Sales for Q Cells UK.
“The capacity of solar to change the landscape of light aircraft transportation is vast, and Q Cells is therefore delighted to have partaken in this unique pilot project with Nuncats that we hope will be quickly scaled up to begin meeting the needs of remote communities around the world – affordably and efficiently.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.