I first became interested in solar power and renewable energy as a student, when I helped develop a solar-powered charging station for mobile phones. Not even two years later, I’m at the heart of one of the most exciting projects ever: Solar Impulse. As the solar-powered airplane attempts its first flight around the world without relying on fossil fuels, I’m responsible for the mobile hangar that can be folded and carried to a new location, then re-inflated. The structure helps to protect the whole plane, as well as the 17,000 solar cells on its surface. My job is to focus on the ground electrical system to ensure we always have adequate power supply to operate the hangar. At takeoff and landing, I also help with the handling of the plane, which has the wingspan of an airliner but only weighs as much as a car! I work to make sure nothing is damaged as we transport the plane to and from the hangar. 

While the project is of course a very big engineering story – a plane made mostly of carbon fiber, solar cells powering an efficient direct current motor – it also sends a message. If we can build a solar airplane and fly it around the world using only solar power, why not apply it to other areas? Renewable energy is not science fiction because it’s here, right now.