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This story is from November 25, 2015

Solar Impulse to champion the cause of renewable energy at COP21 Paris

Solar Impulse, the fuel-free aircraft flying only on sunshine, harnessed through 17,000 solar cells, is currently at half-way point in Nagoya, Japan after crossing the Pacific Ocean.
Solar Impulse to champion the cause of renewable energy at COP21 Paris
Raising the pitch for renewable energy, green energy crusaders Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, founders and pilots of Solar Impulse II, will participate actively in the COP21 Climate Conference scheduled in Paris, France.
The duo 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.

Solar Impulse, the fuel-free aircraft flying only on sunshine, harnessed through 17,000 solar cells, is currently at half-way point in Nagoya, Japan after crossing the Pacific Ocean. The round-the-world flight will restart after some repairs to the plane’s batteries, in 2016. If Solar Impulse succeeds, it will be a breakthrough for aviation, environmentalism and human endeavor. Solar Impulse had also flown through India, making pit stops in Ahmedabad and Varanasi.
Now, in the lead-up to the COP21 event, Piccard has published a manifesto of seven principles to highlight that solving climate change does not have to be an expensive exercise, requiring financial and behavioral sacrifices, but rather a unique opportunity for creating both profit and jobs. Initiator, chairman and pilot of Solar Impulse, Piccard, 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.”
Piccard and Borschberg will participate in a number of high-level events including the official opening of the COP21/CMP11 leaders event at Le Bourget on November 30, the Solutions COP21 on December 4, re-energising the Future, and Sustainable Innovation Forum organised by UNEP. Piccard will also join Dr Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, USA, in making the welcome address on Energy and Low Carbon Innovation on December 8.

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 favorable 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 mobilised more than 300 supporting associations, among them business leaders, international organisations and academia, and urging governments to replace old, polluting techniques with new, cleaner solutions that are more efficient.
Since the start 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, voting for which closes online on December 4.
Personalities like Prince Albert II of Monaco, Kofi Annan, Richard Branson, Mikhail Gorbachev, Christiana Figueres and Yann Arthus Bertrand have so far associated their names with the #FUTUREISCLEAN message.
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