SolarWorld Presents Electric Aircraft, Elektra One, in U.S. Debut at Huge Aviation Show in Oshkosh, Wis.

SolarWorld, the largest U.S. manufacturer of solar panels for more than 35 years, will showcase the maiden U.S. appearance of a zero-emissions electric aircraft at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011 in Oshkosh, Wis., starting Monday. SolarWorld and Germany’s PC Aero are working together to pioneer the world’s first comparatively affordable electric aircraft system complete with solar-equipped aircraft and solar-charging hangar.

The zero-emissions Elektra One aircraft, presented by SolarWorld, will make its U.S. debut at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2011. (Photo: Business Wire)

PC Aero’s Calin Gologan will make several speaking appearances at AirVenture, which is expected to attract more than 500,000 people. Gologan will outline his vision of electric flight, including a talk as part of the SolarWorld-sponsored World Electric Aircraft Symposium on Friday, July 29. Elektra One will be on display in AirVenture’s Innovation Hangar, except at midday Wednesday, July 27, when it is expected to fly.

The single-seat Elektra One is designed for more than three hours of flight, a range of more than 250 miles, a cruising speed of more than 100 mph and zero emissions. With 1,400 propeller rotations a minute at cruising altitudes, Elektra One is nearly silent. The plane weighs 440 pounds, including battery, and can carry a payload of 220 pounds, including pilot.

SolarWorld and PC Aero are developing a new aviation filling station and hangar fitted with the company’s high-performance solar panels to service small aircraft, including the Elektra One, which also will bear SolarWorld photovoltaic cells to extend its range up to 30 percent.

"Elektra One is emblematic of a future in mobility that relies on efficient and environmentally sound electric vehicles,” said Frank Asbeck, CEO of SolarWorld. "We need to stop depending on fossil fuels – and their dirty, noisy use of scarce resources – to get from one place to another. Solar power, abundant and pervasive, is the obvious choice for travel in the skies.”

The Elektra One made its maiden flight in March in Augsburg, Germany, where Gologan’s vision of marrying the aircraft with a solar-charging hangar was conceptually demonstrated. PC Aero will begin taking orders for the aircraft in Europe and the U.S. in 2012. Gologan intends for a complete system – solar-equipped airplane combined with a hangar – to be priced around $145,000, or 100,000 euro.

About SolarWorld (www.SolarWorld.com):

SolarWorld (ISIN: DE0005108401) is a worldwide leader in offering brand-name, high quality, crystalline solar-power technology. Its strength is its fully integrated solar production. From silicon as the raw material through wafers, cells and modules all the way to turn-key solar systems of all sizes, the group combines all stages of the solar value chain. The central business activity is selling quality modules into the installation and distribution trades and crystalline wafers to the international solar cell industry. Group headquarters are located in Bonn, Germany. The group’s largest production facilities operate in Freiberg, Germany, and Hillsboro in the U.S. state of Oregon. Sustainability is the basis of the group strategy. Under the name Solar2World, the group supports care projects using off-grid solar-power solutions in developing countries, exemplifying sustainable economic development. Worldwide, SolarWorld employs more than 3,800 people. SolarWorld AG has been quoted on the stock exchange since 1999 and today is listed on, among others, the TecDAX and ÖkoDAX as well as in the sustainability index NAI.

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