Airplanes are now able to fly around the globe, running entirely on solar energy.

Solar energy can be the power for cars, space stations, and trains, and it can also power planes. Paul MacCready created the first solar-powered aircraft, the Solar Challenger, in 1981 and flew it across the English Channel. In 1998, the remote-controlled solar airplane Pathfinder set an altitude record, reaching 80,000 feet.

NASA later broke this record in 2001, achieving 96,000 feet with their non-rocket aircraft. The largest and most powerful solar-powered airplane today, Solar Impulse 2, completed the world's first zero-emissions flight around the world in 2016, piloted by Bertrand Piccard.