The energy balance in a solar-powered UAV flying along the shortest path

The integration of solar energy into aircraft technology is an attractive and challenging topic, and there is a clear consensus regarding its potential benefits. To optimally apply solar energy, it is important to plan flight paths so that the absorbed energy will be maximal. However, in many missions of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), it is important, sometimes critical to plan the shortest path between two directed points (that is, initial and final positions, each with a defined direction of motion). Therefore, this article deals with combining the issues of planning the shortest route between two directed points and calculating the difference between the collected energy and the consumed energy of a solar-powered UAV when it flies along the shortest path. The article demonstrates how the energy balance depends on the geometry of the shortest path and the position of the sun in the sky, relative to the flying UAV. Key words. Solar-powered UAV, energy balance, shortest path between endpoints, level flight.