Solar Impulse 2 grounded in Hawaii for battery repairs

Solar Impulse 2 will remain stuck in Hawaii for two or three weeks while repairs are made to its overheated battery system, according to the crew of the sun-powered plane.

• Solar Impulse 2 lands in Hawaii after record 5-day journey
• Plane passes point of no return to Hawaii
• Plane embarks on estimated 120-hour trip to Hawaii

The plane landed in Hawaii on July 3 after a journey from Japan lasting 118 hours, part of efforts to fly a solar-powered plane around the globe for the first time.

The engineering team believes the battery temperature skyrocketed due to over-insulation and it will be looking at ways to better manage the cooling process.

The crew said damage to certain parts of the battery system is "irreversible" and it doesn't see any chance for the ninth leg of the journey to begin until sometime in August.

Its next scheduled destination is Phoenix, Ariz. The aircraft began a circumnavigation of the globe on March 9 in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Solar Impulse 2 has a seat for one pilot. And Borschberg and Swiss compatriot Bertrand Piccard are taking turns flying legs of the zero-fuel plane's around-the-world trip.

The plane is powered by more than 17,000 solar cells on its wings that recharge its batteries. During the night, the plane's solar cells no longer collect energy, so its engines run on battery power alone.

The project is meant to demonstrate the potential of improved energy efficiency and clean power, though solar-powered air travel is not yet commercially practical.