Well when automobile manufacturers seriously contemplating to switch over to solar power, an aircraft powered by Solar cells sets record by flying non-stop 19 hours from Madrid in Spain to Rabat in Morocco on Wednesday. The flight flown by Swiss pilot and adventurer Bertrand Piccard has entered the record books as the world's first intercontinental flight in a giant solar-powered plane. The balloonist was welcomed at the Morocco airport by his wife and many enthusiasts. The experimental carbon-fibre aircraft is the size of an Airbus A340, fitted with 12,000 solar cells. But only weighs as much as an average family car-about 1,600 kg.

Piccard, who made the first non-stop around-the-world balloon flight 13 years ago felt that this was a dress rehearsal for his round the world trip on the same plane. "Solar Impulse has demonstrated that a solar-powered airplane can fly day and night using no fuel. The next challenge is to fly around the world," the organizers said on their website solarimpulse.com. The project began in 2003 and is estimated to cost about USD 100 million.

Excited Piccard exclaimed, 'For one hour I had the full moon on my right and I had the sunrise on my left and that was absolutely gorgeous." About solar power for commercial ventures, "The question is not to use solar power for normal airplanes. The question is more to demonstrate that we can achieve incredible goals, almost impossible goals, with new technologies, without fuel, just with solar energy, and raise awareness that if we can do it in the air, of course everybody can do it on the ground," he told AFP in Madrid.

The solar cells built into the wing provide four 10 horse-power electric motors with renewable energy. By day, the solar cells recharge the 400 kg lithium batteries, enabling the plane to fly at night. (With Inputs from Internet- Aarkay)