A solar-powered airship, capable of carrying loads of 250 tons, could one day be used as a low-emissions way to freight cargo internationally.
The Varialift airship (above) currently in development will use helium gas to lift off—far safer than the highly flammable hydrogen used by past airships. Its flight will be powered by two solar-powered and two aero engines.
Its British designers claim the airship will use just eight per cent of the fuel of a conventional jet aeroplane on a transatlantic flight. And since airships benefit from jetstream winds, they also offer an advantage over cargo ships in efficiency and carbon emissions.
[Source: New Scientist]