FOR MOBILE SOLAR , THE SKY IS THE LIMIT
converted into electricity by its gallium arsenide ( GaAs ) cell .
Alta Devices is currently in the midst of exploring the applications of its ultra-thin and efficient solar cells . And it ’ s putting significant stock in the UAV market .
“ If you believe what Facebook and Google are saying about how many planes are gonna be needed to cover certain pieces of the globe to provide communications services , the numbers are in the tens of thousands of airplanes ,” Kapusta says . “ We are talking to all the manufacturers that make those kinds of aircraft .” While large solar drones have potential in the telecommunications sphere , Alta believes that a different market for smaller unmanned aircraft will soon develop . A small solar UAV won ’ t fly for months at a time , but will spend days or hours monitoring large agricultural assets
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or carrying out remote search and rescue operations . When the wings of these aircraft are covered in Alta ’ s solar cells , Kapusta predicts that they will be able to stay aloft for perhaps 9 or 10 hours at a time .
Do we have the technology ? If solar drones , big or small , are going to be flying to every corner of the globe ,
“
Right now , it certainly seems like unmanned aircraft are a ‘ no-brainer ’. It ’ s going to happen and it has the potential to be quite big ”
– Rich Kapusta , Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales at Alta Devices
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