Abdullah bin Zayed inspects Solar Impulse plane ahead of its round-the-world historic flight

21/01/2015

 As part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, hosted by Masdar, H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, yesterday inspected the Solar Impulse plane.

He was received at arrival at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi by Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and CEO of Masdar, and two Swiss pilots Bertrand Piccard and Andre Borschberg, co-founders of Solar Impulse project.

Piccard and Borscherg demonstrated to Sheikh Abdullah the innovative and clean technology of the Solar Impulse plane, which can be applied in daily life to build a more sustainable future. They also briefed him about the potential of the plane, which can fly day and night, relying on solar power only and without using a drop of fuel or producing any harmful emissions.

Sheikh Abdullah expressed his good wishes about the success of the team and its safe return, also commending the efforts of Masdar, the co-host of the Solar Impulse project.

"The arrival of the Solar Impulse, its assembling, and its take-off from Abu Dhabi in March represents an important step for this historic flight around the world. Choosing Abu Dhabi to be the starting and closing points emphasises the leading position achieved by the UAE in the field of clean and renewable energy, thanks to long-term future vision of our wise leadership," he added.

Sheikh Abdullah also met a number of students who had qualified for the Zayed Future Energy Prize - schools category in the last two rounds of the award. He also met a number of students and children who had been declared winners in the Masdar campaign contest for ideas and proposals on preserving water and energy. The contest was a short TV clip of 15 seconds. The winners were honoured in a special ceremony held on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Sheikh Abdullah congratulated the winners of the Zayed Future Energy Award for their scientific achievements.