Swiss team to unveil solar aircraft at energy summit

The delegation attending the World Future Energy Summit from Switzerland will be unveiling the first solar powered aircraft.

Bertrand Piccard, President and Pilot, Solar Impulse, will be exhibiting a model of the solar powered aircraft at the event later this month in Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre.

A Swiss pavilion will accommodate many of Switzerland's leading renewable energy companies who will be there to showcase the latest products and solutions of the renewable energy sector.

Industry leaders including Alstom, Oerlikon Solar, and Pramac will be part of the Swiss pavilion. 3S Swiss Solar Systems together with ABB, an active player in the ambitious Desertec project, will attend the summit and share latest products and solutions.

Wolfgang Amadeus Bruelhart, Swiss Ambassador in Abu Dhabi, commenting in the Swiss presence at the energy summit, said: "I'm pleased about the strong presence of a Swiss delegation and Swiss Cleantech companies at WFES 2010. I'm looking forward very much to meeting Bertrand Piccard again, President of Solar Impulse, who said recently: 'At each major premiere, the adventures of the last century pushed back the limits of the impossible. Today, human and technical inquiry must go on, with a view to improving the quality of life for humanity. By writing the next pages in the history of aviation with solar energy, as far as a flight around the world without fuel or pollution is concerned, Solar Impulse's ambition is to contribute in the world of exploration and innovation in the cause of renewable energies'."

Walter Steinmann, State Secretary of Energy and Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy, will be among the keynote speakers at the first plenary forum, which will bring together energy ministers to discuss their countries' blueprints.

Hans B Püttgen, Director of the Energy Centre at the Swiss Institute of Technology EPFL will be chairing a session on "Energy evolution – The future energy mix".

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.