According to the Solar Impulse team's website, the aircraft took off on Wednesday with plans to stay aloft as its batteries charged, before proceeding to a lower altitude for an overnight flight.
The nighttime test flight is a crucial part of the team's goal of flying the plane around the world in 2012. The Solar Impulse had to postpone the test flight last week when problems were discovered with one of the plane's parts.
"The intention of this mission is to demonstrate the potential of renewable energy and clean technologies and to promote them amongst the public," said Bertrand Piccard, initiator and president of Solar Impulse.
Looking ahead, this research could have important benefits for the solar energy industry at large. After all, one of the problems confronting today's solar energy plants is how to better store energy and continue producing power after the sun goes down. As battery technology improves and other potential options emerge, this is likely to result in even greater possibilities for solar energy.
