eli5 – Why can’t planes take off/land using fuel but fly using solar power when in flight (daytime)

Question

Surely it would save some carbon emissions if the plane was clad in solar panels and could use solar energy once airborne/above the clouds?

In: 0

Answer 1

A few hours of solar on the panels that could be fit on a plane aren’t enough power to make a meaningful difference for the energy required for a plane to stay in the air, and it would require an additional set of engines to run on electric power.