One giant leap into history

At 4am yesterday Solar Impulse 2 ended its round-the-world flight, putting Abu Dhabi firmly on the global renewable energy map

ABU DHABI // “We do it because we are pioneers, because we are explorers, because we know in our team that there is a way to never fail – and that is to never try.”

With those words at Al Bateen Airport, Solar Impulse 2’s co-pilot and co-founder Bertrand Piccard ended the epic, almost 18-month flight around the world .

He and partner Andre Borschberg had flown 40,000 kilometres without a drop of fuel, relying only on energy gathered from the Sun and with the full backing of Abu Dhabi clean-energy firm Masdar.

It was a tribute to the two Swiss men’s endeavour, determination and resilience, and that of their team. It was also a testimony to the belief in renewable energy as a practical alternative for the future.

The flight may be over, but the real journey has just begun.

Peter Klaunzer / Keystone via AP Photo Bertrand Piccard, right, leaves Solar Impulse 2 at Al Bateen Airport to be greeted by his project co-founder and co-pilot Andre Borschberg yesterday.