Solar Impulse Foundation

The Solar Impulse Foundation is an environmental non-profit project which is founded in 2003 by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.[1]

Solar Impulse Foundation
Type of site
Non-Profit
Founded2003
HeadquartersLausanne, Vaud, Switzerland
Founder(s)
IndustryCleantech
URLhttps://solarimpulse.com/

The foundation is known for its round-the-world flight in an entirely solar powered plane completed in 2016, as well as the Solar Impulse Efficient Solution label awarded to 1000 solutions that are both profitable and good for the planet.[2][3][4]

History

The Solar Impulse Project

The founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation Bertrand Piccard credits the inspiration for the Solar Impulse project to a round-the-world-flight he completed in a hot air balloon in March 1999 with aeronaut Brian Jones, fueled by liquid propane.[5] When they landed with 40 kg remaining from 3.7 tons of propane, Piccard vowed to fly around the world again without the limitation of fuel.[1][6]

The Solar Impulse Foundation was formed in 2003, and the first solar test flights were completed in 2009.[1] In 2015, Borschberg reported that the Solar Impulse project had cost 150 million Swiss francs or $160 million U.S. dollars.[7]

Round-the-World in a Solar Plane

March 9, 2015, the Solar Impulse 2 entirely solar-powered flight piloted by Piccard and Borschberg took off from Abu Dhabi, circumnavigating the globe in 505 days.[8][9] During the flight, the Solar Impulse Foundation engaged with schools and young people including video conferences with the pilots.[1][10] The flight around the world in a solar-powered airplane was completed in 2016, and included an in-air interview with eighth UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.[8][11][12]

World Alliance for Clean Technologies

Piccard and the Solar Impulse Foundation announced the launch of the affiliated World Alliance for Clean Technologies network at the November 2016 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco.[13] The goal of the World Alliance is to help push startups with economically viable green solutions into public awareness where their products can be noticed by investors, corporations, and government leaders looking for clean solutions.[14] By mid-2019 the alliance had registered 1,850 member companies.[15][16] In 2021, the Solar Impulse Foundation is launching a venture fund with BNP Paribas with a target size of 150 million euros and a growth and buyout platform (200 million euros) with Rothschild & Co and Air Liquide, with the aim of providing companies with capital to achieve the 1,000 solutions proclaimed by the Solar Impulse Foundation to protect the environment.[17]

Efficient Solution Label - 1000 Solutions

Piccard made the first public announcement of the Solar Impulse Foundation's intention to identify 1000 solutions to receive the Efficient Solutions Label at the 2016 U.N. Climate Change Conference.[18] In February 2020, Piccard told GreenBiz that the solar powered-flight around the world was phase I, and in phase II the Solar Impulse Foundation would certify and promote 1000 profitable technologies that decarbonize systems, cut energy use and clean up air and water.[4]

In an interview in June 2018 with La Tribune, Piccard stated that solutions from all over the world can apply for the Efficient Solution Label.[19] At that time Piccard said the Solar Impulse Foundation had received applications from 700 companies.[19]

To apply for the Efficient Solution Label from the Solar Impulse Foundation, companies must be members of the World Alliance, which is free to join.[14] They must also fill out an extensive application and go through an Ernst & Young-certified process where their solutions are vetted by members of the World Alliance to evaluate the potential for economic success and to estimate the length of the payback period for investors.[2][14]

To qualify for the label, solutions must fit one of five sustainable development goals from the United Nations, specifically water, clean energy, industry, cities, and responsible consumption and production.[14] They must also be available for purchase or ready for market.[14]

In his January 2021 LCI interview Piccard stated that 420 experts had approved and labeled 850 solutions, growing from 400 labeled solutions in October 2020 and from 287 a year earlier.[18][20][21] Piccard stated in a Reuters interview that the foundation planned to reach 1000 labeled solutions in mid-April 2021.[2] On April 13, 2021, the foundation announced that it had identified all 1000 solutions.[22]

Funding and Partnerships

The Solar Impulse foundation receives financial support from its 16 corporate sponsors, which include Swiss food and drink company Nestlé, an organization that helped provide food for the two pilots on the round-the-world flight Solar Impulse 2; Air Liquide, Solvay, and others, as well as private donors.[2][16]

The Solar Impulse Foundation funds the World Alliance for Efficient Solutions, whose annual operating budget was reported by GreenBiz in 2018 to be $2.9 million U.S. dollars per year.[14] The World Alliance also collaborates with other global environmental organizations, including the World Economic Forum, IEA, IRENA, and others.[14]

In May 2020, Piccard and the corporate partners of the Solar Impulse Foundation published a statement in the Financial Times calling governments to prioritize the implementation of clean technologies in their global COVID-19 recovery efforts.[23] This commitment was co-authored by 12 Solar Impulse Foundation business partners, including French utility Engie; European energy company Schneider Electric and nine more.[23][24]

In December 2020, CNN reported that the Solar Impulse Foundation was supporting close to 400 companies with solutions that help the environment.[25]

See also

References
  1. Mun-Delsalle, Y-Jean (March 7, 2015). "Ready For Its Global Solar Flight, Solar Impulse With Omega Show How Innovation Can Change The World". Forbes. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  2. Balch, Oliver (February 21, 2021). "Seeking take-off with 1,000 clean tech solutions to fuel the globe". Reuters. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  3. Kumar, Isabelle (December 14, 2020). "Bertrand Piccard - From one to 1000 ways to make the world a cleaner plact". EuroNews. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  4. Fehrenbacher, Katie (February 4, 2020). "Solar plane explorer's next mission: climate tech startups". GreenBiz. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  5. Temperton, James (October 31, 2016). "Climate change is a huge opportunity: Bertrand Piccard on fairytale flights and Earth's future". Wired. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  6. Wei-Haas, Maya (January 31, 2018). "Inside the First Solar-Powered Flight Around the World". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  7. Shea, Neil (March 6, 2015). "Swiss Adventurer Launches Quest to 'Fly Forever'". National Geographic. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  8. Carvalho, Stanley (July 25, 2016). "Solar plane circles globe in first for clean energy". Reuters. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  9. Taylor, Alan (July 26, 2016). "Flying Around the World in a Solar Powered Plane". The Atlantic. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  10. Plaugic, Lizzie (March 8, 2015). "Solar Impulse 2 will begin its around-the-world flight on Monday". The Verge. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  11. McCormick, Rich (July 26, 2016). "Solar Impulse 2 completes round-the-world trip on Sun power alone". The Verge. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  12. Ayre, James (May 2, 2016). "Solar Impulse Pilot Bertrand Piccard's Interview With UN Secretary Ban Ki-Moon (Video)". CleanTechnica. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  13. Piccard, Bertrand (November 11, 2016). "The World Alliance for Clean Technologies was launched by the Solar Impulse Foundation at COP22!". The Solar Impulse Foundation. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  14. Siegel, RP (June 27, 2018). "Solar plane pioneer embarks on journey to help low-carbon innovations take flight". GreenBiz. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  15. Le Billon, Véronique (June 25, 2019). "Transition énergétique : Solar Impulse rallie Schneider Electric à sa fondation". Les Echos. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  16. Zipp, Kathie (November 15, 2017). "Solar Impulse Foundation launches alliance for efficient solutions". Solar Power World. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  17. Impulse, Solar. "SIF accelerates the development of cleantech solutions which protect the environment by supporting the creation of two investment funds, a growth & buyout strategy with Rothschild & Co and Air Liquide, and a VC strategy with BNP Paribas". solarimpulse.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
  18. Amicone, Sylvia (January 18, 2021). "Le plaidoyer de l'explorateur Bertrand Piccard pour une "croissance qualitative"". LCI. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  19. Pialot, Dominique (June 1, 2018). "Bertrand Piccard, en quête de 1.000 solutions pour changer le monde". La Tribune. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  20. Cooper, Rachel (December 3, 2020). "Bertrand Piccard on what needs to be achieved in the next 12 months to meet 2030 targets". Climate Action. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  21. Barbiroglio, Emanuela (November 25, 2019). "A New Record On A Hydrogen Car Shows Consumers Can Save The Planet". Forbes. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  22. Lotto Persio, Sofia (April 13, 2021). "Profitable And Sustainable Businesses Exist: Explorer Bertrand Piccard Proves It With 1,000 Examples". Forbes. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
  23. Piccard, Bertrand (May 6, 2020). "Business Leaders Commit To A Clean Economic Recovery". The Financial Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  24. Ganguly, Shramana (March 16, 2015). "Nestle personalises food supply for pilots of solar-powered aircraft Impulse 2". Economic Times. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  25. Page, Tom (October 2, 2020). "Bertrand Piccard: The explorer who wants to clean up the skies, and the rest of the planet". CNN. Cable News Network. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
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