Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, founders and pilots of solar-powered aircraft Solar Impulse will be actively engaged in the COP21 Climate Conference which will take place in Paris, France next month.

They will highlight the fact that investing in solutions, for energy efficiency and renewable energies is profitable for investors and consumers in both developed and emerging markets at the event running on December 7 and 8 at Stade de France


Piccard, initiator, chairman and pilot of Solar Impulse said: “People don't want to hear about expensive problems; they need to be inspired by solutions, which have immediate economic returns.

“The CO2 emissions of today are caused by technologies which are 100 years old. If we were to replace these old polluting systems by new clean technologies that exist already today, we could divide by two the energy consumption of the world and therefore, too, the CO2 emissions. This is where we need to implement legal frameworks.”

Borschberg, co-founder, CEO and Pilot of Solar Impulse said:” Solar Impulse is a tangible example of the power of clean technologies. Among our records, we have accomplished a non-stop five days five nights flight, with no fuel.

“To be able to realize this historic first using solar energy, we had to significantly reduce our energy consumption and be extremely efficient.  All the clean technologies which have been integrated in the airplane can be adopted in our daily lives. We need governments to create a favourable environment so these technologies are widely used in order to reduce CO2 emissions”.

In an effort to provide a platform where the public can support and provide input into the COP 21 process, Solar Impulse has launched the Future is Clean initiative, which has mobilized more than 300 supporting associations - among them business leaders, international organizations and academia – urging governments to replace old, polluting techniques with new, cleaner solutions, which are more efficient.

Since the beginning of November 2015, members of the public have actively engaged in voting for their top solution. The top 5 with the most votes will be presented by Solar Impulse throughout the duration of COP21. Members of the public can vote online until December 4. – TradeArabia News Service