Solar Impulse Pioneers Open NASDAQ — Tesla to Join the Index
This article was first published on 1Sun4All.
The landing of Solar Impulse, the solar-powered airplane that can fly day and night without fuel, at New York’s JFK International airport on Saturday July 6, successfully completed the team’s Across America mission 2013. The flight held suspenseful moments when it was known that a section of fabric on the wing had become damaged. You can see the tear in the photo below. The following release is from Solar Impulse:
Solar Impulse at NASDAQ Opening Bell Ceremony
André and Bertrand were invited to ring NASDAQ’s opening bell on Tuesday morning, July 10, together with Thomas Werner, CEO of SunPower — Solar Impulse partner and solar cell provider.
After a flattering introduction about “making history Across America” by NASDAQ’s Vice President Global Corporate Client, David Wicks, André and Bertrand shared Solar Impulse’s message about the potential of renewable energies and the need to capitalize on a clean tech–powered future. “Solar Impulse is meant to inspire people, to bring new technologies to the public. If we want a cleaner and better world, technology will play that role; that’s why we believe that NASDAQ is a really good airport for Solar Impulse” said Bertrand finishing off on a humorist note.
“The technologies on our solar plane are designed to be energy efficient and light. These technologies and are slowly finding their way into other applications, creating profit – and that’s what will make the clean tech industry grow into the future,” Concluded André.
A euphoric yet emotional moment for the team as Solar Impulse was streamed on the NASDAQ tower and picked up by all the major financial television networks. Waving our hands and yelling “Solar Impulse!” in front of the cameras, it finally hit us: the seemingly “mission impossible” officially turned “mission accomplished.”
Additional Notes from the Solar Impulse Team: “Solar Impulse requires zero fuel because its 12,000 solar panels charge the onboard lithium polymer batteries which allow us to fly day and night. Our ultra-light plane, with a wingspan of a jumbo jet, will rely solely on its own energy source to complete its cross-country mission.”
Serendipitous Cleantech Milestones
Author’s Note: On the same day that André and Bertrand celebrated their successful Across America mission 2013, it was announced that Tesla will join the NASDAQ-100 Index®. The electric car manufacturer will become a component of the index prior to market open on Monday, July 15, 2013. The price of Tesla’s stock has risen nearly 250 percent year-to-date.
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