With a top speed of a mere 69km/h, it's not going to revolutionise the aviation industry at large, but the planned journey of Solar Impulse 2 is sure to make us all think twice about just how much energy it takes to fly.
Scheduled to traverse the globe over a period of about 20 days next year, the adventure by two Swiss pilots will cover a staggering 35,000km in a daring attempt to become the first to fly around the world without carrying fuel.
The only aircraft able to fly day and night without polluting, if Solar Impulse 2 does make it round the globe, it will become the first ever round-the-world solar flight.
It will be piloted by psychiatrist, balloonist and explorer Bertrand Piccard, and engineer and entrepreneur André Borschberg, who flew the first incarnation - Solar Impulse 1 - from California to New York City in 2012.
"It has taken 12 years of calculations, simulations, construction and testing to arrive at the launch of Solar Impulse 2 - the most revolutionary aircraft of our time," they say in a statement.
Not surprisingly, Solar Impulse 2 is little more than a huge solar panel. Its enormous 72-metre wings - longer even than those of a Boeing 747 - harvest energy from the sun using an incredible 17,000 solar cells. They provide four 17.5 CV electric motors with enough renewable energy to propel the Solar Impulse 2, which weighs about the same as an average car at 2,300kg.
During the flight, those solar cells recharge on-board lithium batteries that add a further 633kg. Thankfully, the Solar Impulse 2 is made from carbon fibre and is one of the most aerodynamic and energy efficient planes ever designed.