07.10.2008
First fuel cell powered motor glider presented in Stuttgart
The pilot motor glider Antares DLR-H2 jointly developed by the DLR Institute for Technical Thermodynamics and Lange Aviation GmbH. The machine will have the first flight in 2008. It can be seen in graphic form over the Stuttgart Airport. DLR/Stuttgart Airport. (Copyright: DLR/Stuttgart Airport.)
The prototype ”Antares DLR-H2”, filled with hydrogen tanks, is the first manned aircraft that can rise purely with the aid of electricity via a fuel cell, states the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The DLR has built the machine together with Lange Aviation.
The glider, which spans 20 metres, refuels only hydrogen. Electricity is generated in the fuel cells on board, powering the propeller via an electric motor. “This project aims to make fuel cells usable for aviation in the long run. The technology, however, is not appropriate for powering huge passenger planes”, says DLR project manager Josef Kallo.
In fuel cells, now increasingly tested also in cars and ships, electricity is being generated by ”cold“ burning of hydrogen and oxygen. Since hydrogen is not naturally available, it has to be extracted from water or petroleum gas. The extraction from water can be realised virtually carbon dioxide free – with the help of wind and solar energy.
More:
http://www.dlr.de
