Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg explaining the exhibition dedicated to Solar Impulse in Beijing.

August 18, 2008: Solar Impulse “is landing” in China for the first time presenting itself at the
Olympic Games
It was a great moment for the two initiators of Solar Impulse, Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, “landing” their project in China for the first time. “A country that cannot be ignored when one talks of technology and energy” Bertrand Piccard underlined on the occasion of the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Solar Impulse at the heart of the Olympic village in Beijing. Not only athletic records are currently being achieved here: André Borschberg underlined that “in this Olympic Games universe of performance, Solar Impulse wishes to demonstrate that it, too, can surpass itself in terms of energy savings.”

Not far from the “Bird’s Nest” Olympic stadium 100 m² are devoted to the solar airplane. Since last week, visitors can find out about Solar Impulse’s challenges: flying day and night solely powered by the sun during the record flight around the world, which is scheduled for 2011. The exhibition not only explains the project’s recent progress and the plane’s structural materials and their capabilities but also the management of the energy chain, the solar panels and the batteries right down to the propellers.

“The more people know about the power of alternative energies, the better. That’s why the Olympics are a wonderful showcase. Millions of visitors to the Olympic Games will know about the Solar Impulse project and will spread the message to the whole world including, of course, China. And this means billions of people”, explained the President of the Swatch Group which, being official timekeeper for the Olympic Games, is presenting the Solar Impulse Pavilion in Beijing. Like Deutsche Bank, OMEGA, which is part of the Swatch Group, supports the pioneering project Solar Impulse as a Main Partner.

May 17, 2008: Virtual Flight 2008 - 25 hours in the cockpit

Solar Impulse hangar, Dübendorf, Switzerland
This is the location where work is normally carried out on the construction of the solar airplane, prototype. However this week, practice flights of a special kind have been taking place from this site. As part of the Solar Impulse Virtual Flight 2008, an original replica of the prototype cockpit has been used for the very first time.On Tuesday at dawn, Bertrand Piccard kicked off the four-day series of tests and took over the controls of the flight simulator, piloting a flight lasting 25 hours under “real conditions” until Wednesday morning. After nearly one thousand kilometres, Piccard “safely landed” the solar airplane at precisely 8:43 am on the virtual landing strip. “At first I thought I would be simulating a flight – but afterwards it felt as if I was already flying the real airplane,” concluded Piccard. The second 25-hour test started on Thursday morning with André Borschberg at the controls landing at 7:18 am.

During the test phases, the simulator was fed with the current weather data along with geographic parameters – which means the giant panorama on five screens in front of the cockpit window shows not just mountains and valleys, but also cloud fronts, as well as day and night. As the Solar Impulse airplane is intended to fly around the world in 2011 without any fuel, it is particularly important to save enough energy during the day to fly through the night. Although it is guaranteed during the 25-hour virtual test flight, the Solar Impulse engineers can check energy levels on the instruments in the control room.

The team also monitored the physiological reactions of the pilots: they wore an oxygen mask throughout the entire flight as well as a breast belt with electrodes and sensors that made it possible to check their heart rate and breathing. To test reaction and performance, for example, the team had Piccard and Borschberg solve math problems. As the pilot’s capsule has space for only one person, the pilot must not fall asleep during the record flight around the world in 2011 – and this has been practiced during the virtual flight: 20 minute naps had to be sufficient. The pilots were equipped with a vibrating alarm on their bodies to notify them, for example, of too-strong a tilt to one side.
[More information about the Virtual Flight 2008]

European support for Solar Impulse: Commissioner Jacques Barrot and Christine de Veyrac, member of the European Parliament, with Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg.

April 9, 2008: European Commission to promote Solar Impulse
The goal of the Solar Impulse project is to reconcile mobility with environmental considerations. The venture was declared today at the European Parliament in Brussels as a symbol for its ambitious ecological achievements in the transportation sector.

Today, Jacques Barrot, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Transport, cited Solar Impulse as “an example that should be followed by all players within society, a symbol of what we should be aspiring to: to take today’s technologies and materials to their limits and beyond to accelerate the emergence of tomorrow’s technologies.”

In a world which is unimaginable without the aeroplane, Solar Impulse’s goal to fly around the world powered solely by solar energy, both day and night, and without emitting pollutants, stands as a beacon to us all, Barrot emphasized. In 2011 Solar Impulse is due to set out on its record-breaking flight around the world with a stopover on each continent.

The Solar Impulse team sees the support of the European Commission both as a unique opportunity and at the same time a huge responsibility to move the development of renewable energies forward by becoming a symbol of Europe’s commitment to clean mobility, as Bertrand Piccard, the initiator of the project and future pilot of Solar Impulse, pointed out during his acceptance speech.

The first test flights with the prototype, currently under construction in Dübendorf near Zurich, are planned for early 2009. HB-SIA, as the aeroplane is officially named, will have a wingspan of 61 metres and will weigh 1,500 kg. The wingspan of the final Solar Impulse aircraft will be as much as 80 metres, comparable to that of an A380.

Bertrand Piccard at Deutsche Bank´s Solar Impulse booth in Berlin.

March 7, 2008: Bertrand Piccard presents Solar Impulse at ITB in Berlin
“It’s not just about having great ideas – it’s far more important to implement them” – Bertrand Piccard’s vision which he is putting into action with Solar Impulse is at the cutting edge of technology: the first manned round-the-world flight in an airplane powered solely by solar energy. For both Piccard and Deutsche Bank, a main partner of the project, Solar Impulse is an investment in the future of our planet – ecologically sustainable and economically viable, it is a contribution to the welfare of the whole of society.

On 7 March Piccard introduced the Solar Impulse project as one of the keynote speakers at the ITB in Berlin, with over 170,000 visitors the largest travel and tourism trade fair in the world. “If we do not find alternative sources of energy our planet will crash long before we are able to pass it on to the next generation” was his insistent plea. Solar Impulse is intended to be a beacon, sending a clear message that it’s high time to re-think and that “alternatives can be interesting and sexy”. Solar Impulse is about more than technological innovation: above all it displays a pioneering spirit and a determination to set new standards – taking social responsibility seriously and developing solutions to the challenges of the future.

United Nations Headquarters, New York.

February 14, 2008: Investor Summit on Climate Change: Deutsche Bank presents Solar Impulse at United Nations.
“There is a common misconception that a trade-off exists between environmentally responsible investing and strong investment performance.” As Global Head of Deutsche Bank’s Asset Management Division, Kevin Parker is clear about the potential returns for alternative investments. And about the role of the finance industry in mobilising vast pools of capital in the fight against climate change, both in support of those companies that are most effective in tackling the challenges posed by a changing climate, and in support of companies that are most in a position to mitigate the effects of climate change, for example water treatment companies and green energy suppliers.

At the United Nations’ “Investor Summit on Climate Risk” in New York, Parker recently presented a number of Deutsche Bank projects, including one which not only promotes innovative clean technologies but also highlights the huge market potential offered by environmentally responsible investments: Solar Impulse. An initiative by Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland, Solar Impulse is set to take off in 2011 and fly into the record books as the first manned circumnavigation of the globe in an exclusively solar-powered aircraft – with zero emissions. The aim is to push for a breakthrough in the use of renewable energies and to create awareness of the urgent need for a radical change in thinking – in favour of our planet.

Hence, Deutsche Asset Management has signed up for the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment as part of the Deutsche Bank’s firm commitment to sustainability – guidelines which help investors to factor environmental and social considerations into their investment decisions.
Set against the background that climate change will advance to become one of the most important issues for the financial market, there’s now an excellent opportunity to use sustainable investment products to invest in our own future and that of the globe.

Dr. Josef Ackermann, Chairman of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank and Bertrand Piccard, President and initiator of Solar Impulse.

January 25, 2008: World Economic Forum - Deutsche Bank presents project „Solar Impulse“ as a symbol for “A Passion for Innovation” in Davos.
Bertrand Piccard is clear about the facts: considering the existing data on climate change it is high time for a radical rethink. "The most foolish thing is not to work on a plane flying without a drop of oil, but to continue to think that our civilisation will be able to survive consuming one million tonnes of petrol per hour.” Piccard is developing a solar-powered aircraft capable of flying around the world, without emitting pollutants, just powered by the sun. [more]

Bertrand Piccard (left) speaking at the Climate Change Conference of the Deutsche Bank affiliate DWS in Zurich with Harald Reczek, DWS Investment Switzerland.

January 9, 2008: Climate change as a challenge and opportunity
Bertrand Piccard, initiator and future pilot of Solar Impulse, spoke at the Climate Change Conference of the Deutsche Bank affiliate DWS in Zurich about “Climate change as a challenge and chance”. Piccard is developing –with the support of Deutsche Bank as one out of three Main Partners – an aircraft that is to fly around the world without spewing out pollutants. As a result, redefining the limits of what is possible in every way and revoluting the use of renewable energies.

Deutsche Bank is aware of the immense potential and opportunities offered by the market for renewable energies and underlines its clear determination to promote responsible progress: a new generation of products, like “DWS GO“, opens up the possibility to combine ecological and social responsibility with interesting opportunities for attractive returns – making a sustainable investment into the future. [more]

Bertrand Piccard, co-founder and future pilot of Solar Impulse.

November 21, 2007: Overcoming boundaries
The importance of opening up new horizons and questioning existing standards through innovation – this was the topic of Bertrand Piccard`s speech at the 6th Entrepreneur's Convention in Berlin. The courage to leave beaten tracks and to break new ground connects entrepreneurial spirit to the Solar Impulse project. Bertrand Piccard, co-founder and future pilot of Solar Impulse is convinced: "The most foolish thing is not the realization of a plane flying day and night without a drop of oil, but to continue to think that our civilisation will be able to survive consuming 1 million tones of petrol per hour which is destroying the planet.


November 5, 2007: Revelation of the model
A big step forward. Solar Impulse is no longer just a vision, but is taking on concrete shape. The first components for the prototype are ready: the cockpit, solar cells and the aircraft engine. Up to now information has been taken purely from computer simulations, but presentation of the prototype model provides proof that the next step in the development of the solar airplane is tangible. [more]