FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Why don't planes have solar panels on the wings?
Old Dec 15, 2012 | 2:55 pm
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LaserSailor
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The flow over the wings is critical to flight performance and efficiency. Those little winglets you see on the ends of the wings can increase fuel efficiency by 3-5%!!! This is part of the structure that you really can't play with too much.

You might get a couple of kW total electrical power out of solar cells whereas an APU has lots more.....
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