Solar Impulse took off from Rabat-Sale\u2019 Airport this morning 08:07 a. m. local time, heading over Casablanca and Marrakesh on its way south to Quarzazate, where it is expected to land at 00:30 a. m. local time.\u00a0 \u00a0Considering early ground speeds under 15 kilometers per hour (about 9 miles per hour), headwinds are a major constraint.\u00a0 Turbulence may also cause difficulties, the area having an average daily temperature in the high 90s and low 100s Fahrenheit.<\/p>\n
Quarzazate is a high desert city whose name in Arabic means \u201cnoiselessly,\u201d probably reflecting the vast stillness of the surround desert.\u00a0 Home to Atlas film studios, one of the largest in world, and setting, along with the desert and Atlas Mountains, for films such as Lawrence of Arabia<\/em> and Gladiator<\/em>, the area is also a prime solar-energy site for MASEN, the Moroccan solar agency and destination for the Solar Impulse.<\/p>\n MASEN is on track to complete a solar farm at Quarzazate, along with four others by 2019.\u00a0 The completed projects could generate 4,500 gigawatts, or 18 percent of the nation\u2019s energy needs.\u00a0 The sites will make it possible to save 1 million Tons Oil Equivalent (TOE) and avoid the emission of 3.7 million tons of CO2 annually.<\/p>\n Solar Impulse\u2019s arrival will mark a ceremonial and symbolic acknowledgement of the country\u2019s affirmation of clean energy.<\/p>\n The video shows highlights of the Madrid-to-Rabat voyage, with night takeoff and landing, demonstrating Solar Impulse\u2019s ability to stay aloft on energy stored during daylight hours.<\/p>\n