Solar Powered UAVs

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been increasing worldwide as demands for agile, rapid, targeted response forces have grown. UAVs provide surveillance and detection capabilities to these smaller forces that are unmatched by other technologies. As the reliance on UAVs increases, the short endurance times of existing UAV solutions become a significant factor. Existing commercial solutions have endurance ranging from 45 minutes to 4 hours, limiting both operational range and loiter capabilities. To increase endurance, UAV manufacturers have begun to target technologies ranging from increased performance batteries, improved control algorithms, fuel cells and other alternative power sources. While solar powered UAVs have long been a desired goal, existing solar technologies have characteristics that have made solar integration difficult and limited their integration.