The High Speed Solar Airship (HSSA) is designed to utilize solar energy for flying. Made using thin-film solar panels producing 67.2kW of power and other commonly available components, the HSSA promises to deliver high speed air transport while consuming no fossil fuels. The HSSA claims to have flying speeds of 182 miles per hour during the day and 165 miles per hour during the night which are further increased during west to east travel due to jet streams. It uses an envelope of expandable gas cells which help the airship go from sea level to an altitude of 30,000, which is well above cloud cover and hence provides unhindered sunlight to the solar panels.
According to specifications this airship will have a cargo capacity of 120,000 pounds and will cost about $5 million. Although, it is currently being tested on a smaller scale, this invention shows great promise to reduce fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions.
