(Source: pv-magazine.com)
Hanergy subsidiary Alta Devices has teamed up with Airware to enable manufacturers of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to integrate solar power into aircraft.
Alta Devices, which holds the world record for solar cell efficiency at 28.8%, has shown that by integrating its thin and lightweight solar material onto the wings of a small UAV, flight endurance can be increased by more than four times. On certain designs, a solar-enabled UAV can fly all day long under sunny conditions without landing to swap or recharge batteries, according to Alta Devices.
Airware offers hardware, software and cloud services for the development and operation of commercial drones. By partnering with Airware, Alta Devices will be able to bring its AnyLight solar cell technology to a wide range of commercial vehicles operating around the world, the company said.
“This fundamentally changes the utility of small unmanned systems in a number of end markets,” said Rich Kapusta, Alta Devices vice president of Sales and Marketing. “For precision agriculture, search and rescue, or land surveying, UAVs need to fly longer and farther than today’s systems provide. The most effective way to increase endurance is by adding solar, and Airware and Alta Devices are making that possible.”
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Alan is serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and a drone enthusiast. He co-founded DRONELIFE.com to address the emerging commercial market for drones and drone technology. Prior to DRONELIFE.com, Alan co-founded Where.com, ThinkingScreen Media, and Nurse.com. Recently, Alan has co-founded Crowditz.com, a leader in Equity Crowdfunding Data, Analytics, and Insights. Alan can be reached at alan(at)dronelife.com
Please, am interested in this solar drone project that, i need some for my business especially i have a big rubber farm that i need this powerful drone to watch my workers on the field. i want to know the cost, if i can buy some for my business.