After completing the fourth leg of the Across America mission, the first to last before reaching its final destination in New York City, the solar airplane is enjoying the beautiful setting of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum’s Washington Dulles branch with some of aviation history’s most incredible aircrafts.

During Solvay’s employee event on Tuesday June 18^th, I had a chance to talk to George Corbin, Head of Research, Development and Technology at Solvay Specialty Polymers in Atlanta Georgia. Solvay is Solar Impulse’s first partner (since 2004) and also one of the five partners - including Bayer MaterialScience, Schindler, Swiss Re Corporate Solutions and the Swiss Confederation - that has made this year’s Across America mission possible.   

“It’s so gratifying to see the final product 10 years later and even more gratifying to know that the applications we’ve developed, 20 total of which 18 specialty polymers, are an integrative part of it,” said George.

Solvay produces 1’500 specialty polymer products that are used in a kaleidoscope of industries: from aerospace to electronics; from industrial applications to healthcare (spinal surgery); from water purification to blood purification (dialysis) and now allow a solar airplane to fly. One of the greatest challenges our engineers had to face was reducing the weight of the plane down to the smallest bolt. In fact, screws and bolts used in the airplane’s structure are also made of a special ultra-light, ultra-resistant polymer five times lighter than steel.

But having Solvay materials on such an innovative, clean tech-powered aircraft is also an important symbol for the chemical industry: products that might not be visible to the average consumer are showcased through Solar Impulse’s sleek silhouette proving chemistry’s integral role in building a sustainable future. 

The United States Secretary of Energy visits Solar Impulse and André and Bertrand receive an award from the solar industry.

Solar Impulse has shared our pioneering spirit and clean technology message with many government officials as we have traveled across the U.S.. Now in the Washington, D.C. area, we were pleased to have the United States Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz join us yesterday.

The Secretary noted that Solar Impulse aligns with 4 different Department of Energy priorities, including solar, energy storage, energy efficiency, and advanced materials:  “This wonderful achievement, this engineering marvel, touches 4 really critical areas for the Department of Energy.”

At the event, Bertrand Piccard issued a challenge to governments around the world. He explained that while the clean tech industry has created solutions that are clean, affordable and create jobs, people often don’t switch out of habit. Therefore, governments must play a major role in deploying clean technologies.

André Borschberg pointed out that reducing energy use to the maximum degree is the core challenge for the project. From the very beginning, he said, success required new technologies and solutions, developed with partners.  These solutions, he explained, can also be used in transportation, in buildings, and in appliances.

During the event, the pilots and co-founders received the 2013 Solar Innovators of the year award from Rhone Resch, the President and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association.

On the picture: United States Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz

The Solar Impulse team always enjoys presenting our airplane wherever we land, and our stop in the Washington D.C. area is no exception.  Today was our public day here and the thousands of excited visitors that came to visit energized everyone on the team.

This particular public day is special because we are hosted on site at the National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. The Center is one of the world’s premier museums for aviation and space history, engaging the public while providing inspiration for conquering new frontiers.

Next door to our display tent we can see the massive hangars of the Center, which house hundreds of planes and space vehicles, including the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, the fastest jet in the world, the prototype of the Boeing 707, a Concorde supersonic airliner, and the retired space shuttle Discovery.

As we answered questions and told the Solar Impulse story for today’s visitors, we couldn’t help but think about the pioneering efforts memorialized in the museum next door. Did the designers of the Concorde know that their plane would one day be museum worthy for its groundbreaking achievements? Did the architects of the Space Shuttle imagine that they would be the public face of human space travel for 30 years? It’s humbling to think about our own work with these incredible vehicles so close nearby.

One thing we know is that Solar Impulse and these giants of history share a common pioneering spirit – a commitment to push the very limits of what is possible to accomplish amazing things.  And we know that the next pages of history are as yet unwritten – and we can make clean technology a big part of the next chapter.  Who knows --maybe one day we’ll even be able to see Solar Impulse displayed in a museum as an important step in achieving a clean technology world!