Zero-emission flight just became accessible. PC Aero of Germany unveiled its Elekra One solar-powered and solar-charged plane at the EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., on July 26.

The air show is one of the world’s largest with more than 500,000 people expected to attend.

The Elektra One can carry a pilot only, making it a single-passenger plane. But it can travel up to 250 miles without a drop of gasoline, jet fuel or oil. It can travel for three hours at a speed of up to 100 miles per hour, according to a press release about it. It runs entirely on the power of the sun and is designed to make zero-emission flight relatively affordable.

The plane and its solar-clad hangar and batteries come at a package price of $140,000, which in the world of aviation, isn’t too crazy a price even for a single passenger plane.

Both the plane and the hangar are covered in SolarWorld solar panels. SolarWorld, based in Oregon, is the country’s largest manufacturer of solar modules.

In addition to the new aircraft, SolarWorld is sponsoring a World Electric Aircraft Symposium at the air show in Wisconsin this week.

“This is really exciting,” a SolarWorld spokeswoman said. “This is such an innovative product.”

She said the Elekra One has solar cells on its wings that extend its range by about 30 percent but that the plane’s primary power source is the solar-covered hangar that is sold with it.

The aircraft’s creator, Calin Gologan, flew the plane in Augsburg, Germany, in March to demonstrate its successful use of solar power for flight.

The hangar collects the sun’s energy and charges the plane. It’s also outfitted with batteries to store excess electricity and power the hangar itself.

The SolarWorld spokeswoman said German PC Aero is already at work on the next generation of the Elektra, which is expected to have a longer wingspan and more room for extra solar panels to further extend the craft’s range.

This is the first widely available solar-powered airplane to enter the flight enthusiast market, particularly at an accessible price.

PC Aero expects to begin taking orders for the plane in the United States and in Europe in 2012.