A fully solar‐powered quadcopter able to achieve controlled flight out of the ground effect

Abstract

AbstractThe design and performance of a remote‐controlled quadcopter capable of 100% solar‐powered flight out of the ground effect is fully described. This achievement of solar‐only flight out of the ground effect in a rotorcraft has been a key engineering challenge in aviation, given the need to provide enough available onboard surface area for the solar cells and adequate structural rigidity of the quadcopter frame necessary for stable flight while simultaneously being light enough so that there is enough excess thrust to be able to lift its own weight. The fully solar‐powered quadcopter described in this report has successfully achieved flight under conditions of 882 W/m2, at an altitude greater than 10 m and a maximum timed duration of 1 minute 38 seconds, with no battery or other onboard energy storage. This achievement serves as a proof of principle that 100% solar powered flight out of the ground effect can be achieved in controlled flight. In practice, the aircraft is somewhat fragile due to its extremely light weight, unpackaged monocrystalline silicon solar cells, and large surface area.