This was an 8 month long academic Capstone Design and Build project for my fourth year of university. This was a group project where I led a team of 5 of us over the academic year in designing and building a solar powered VTOL drone. The project was proposed by an academic supervisor. This project aimed to increase the flight time and range of a VTOL delivery drone, using solar panels and/or other novel methods.

Most high-quality drones have an average flying duration of 20 minutes which inhibits the drones from performing long-duration tasks. The team set out to design and develop a self- charging multirotor VTOL delivery drone, incorporating solar panels and aerofoils to enhance flight range and energy efficiency is necessary. The team aimed to increase a drone’s operational flight range and duration by at least 25%.

After analysing various technologies, including aerofoils, solar power, and other innovative vehicle designs, lightweight monocrystalline solar panels and a NACA0015 aerofoil profile were selected to optimise both energy efficiency and aerodynamic performance in a novel drone design. A drone incorporating these technologies was designed in Fusion360 before a working prototype was manufactured.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations and prototype testing were conducted to validate the design. The theoretical results demonstrated a substantial increase in flight time with the integration of solar panels and aerofoils, confirming the effectiveness of the self-charging mechanism and positive lift under optimal conditions. This innovative approach not only extends the operational range of delivery drones but also contributes to more sustainable and efficient delivery solutions. By combining renewable energy sources with advanced aerodynamic design, the project aims to overcome existing limitations in drone technology, paving the way for longer and more efficient drone flights.

Manufacturing components took place over several weeks, while some specialised components sourced externally. The assembly process included reinforcing acrylic cross sections with carbon fiber tubes, 3D printed brackets, constructing aerofoil profiles, and securing components with epoxy and collets. The final drone frame was covered with wing covering film for aerodynamic efficiency. A baseline drone with a standard hexacopter configuration was also created to compare flight times under similar conditions.

While the prototype drone was not flown due to safety reasons, this project was a success and it was found that theoretically, flight time can be increased by up to 32.2% when a drone design incorporates off-the-shelf solar panels and basic NACA0015 aerofoils. With such promising results even with suboptimal technologies, further improvements to the drone geometry and solar energy conversion technology could produce impressive increases in flight time. The project achieved a first class award with a score of 74%. Should you wish to learn more about this project, or read my final report, please contact me.