NANJING // Being part of the Solar Impulse team is to expect the unexpected. There are not many certainties, especially since so much of what we do depends on the weather and other forces beyond our control.
The spur of the moment is how we move forward.
Few members of the team have been to our host cities, where often protocols are different to those we are accustomed to. In Varanasi, the “Athens of India”, no one is allowed on the airport premises without showing a plane ticket, not even at the entrance.
This created some complications. As the solar-powered Si2 came in for landing, our guests, partners and press were not permitted to attend our customary press conference.
Fortunately, we were able to create a last-minute guest list that the airport authorities approved.
After overcoming that, Si2 flew to Mandalay, Myanmar, for what was supposed to be a pit-stop before flying to Chongqing, in south-west China.
Three or four days in Myanmar soon turned into nearly 10 because of poor weather conditions. Despite these delays, Solar Impulse turned what some might perceive as an obstacle into an opportunity.
Given that nearly 75 per cent of Myanmar’s population lacks access to electricity, the message Si2 is carrying around the world was especially meaningful.
By sharing pioneering solar technologies with Myanmar’s residents, the team and pilots showed its possibilities. Increasing Myanmar’s share of clean energy seems even more feasible now that ABB, a clean-technology provider, recently reopened an office to support Myanmar’s power generation and infrastructure.
Upon its arrival in Chongqing on March 30, Si2 had a very small window to fly to Nanjing for the sixth leg of the global journey. But this did not leave enough time to recharge the batteries, and there have been crosswinds all over China, so the aircraft has been idle for more than two weeks.
I flew directly from Varanasi to Nanjing and have been here since. Fortunately, these delays gave me the chance to finalise my work and visit the city. But I am ready to reunite with the Solar Impulse crew and prepare for Si2’s historic Pacific crossing.
Hasan Al Redaini, 25, works for group communications at Mubadala. He is travelling with the Solar Impulse team to assist in solar energy lectures and demonstrations in each of the 12 countries that the team visits.
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