"What a delight," the secretary-general said.
Ban Ki-moon last spoke to Solar Impulse 2 pilot Bertrand Piccard, by video link, on the April day representatives from 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement on climate change at United Nations headquarters in New York.
"The ideas and actions of the Solar Impulse team and other bold innovators will help us meet the objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement and the sustainable development goals," the secretary-general said.
He added: "I am asking all countries to act quickly to ratify or join the Paris Agreement. We need 55 countries, representing 55 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions, to join so that it enters into force as soon as possible.
"But action need not wait," the secretary-general continued. "As we see before us, innovation and experimentation will help us move into a sustainable future."
"The science used in this flight can also be put to use here on the ground. The plane’s technologies can help halve the world’s energy consumption, save natural resources and improve our quality of life," he said.
"Every so often, intrepid pioneers come along who upset the conventional thinking and take us in new directions. The Wright Brothers … Charles Lindbergh … Amelia Earhart … are aviation legends. We can certainly add Bertrand Piccard, André Borschberg, and the Solar Impulse to that list.
"They are circling the world with no fuel, but much energy," he said as he turned toward Bertrand and his co-pilot, André Borschberg.
"Thank you for captivating the imagination of people around the world," he said.
Solar Impulse 2 arrived at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Saturday, passing over the Statue of Liberty before making its final stop in the United States.
Upon landing, Piccard declared, "Today, liberty is about finding and promoting renewable sources of power."
"Our mission is to demonstrate that just the energy of the sun can give us enough power to fly day and night," he said.
Piccard and Borschberg arrived in New York from Pennsylvania after a 4 hour-41-minute flight.
They have been traversing the mainland United States since April 24, when they landed in Mountain View, California -- the heart of Silicon Valley.
Since arriving the US, they have made stops in Phoenix, Arizona; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Dayton, Ohio -- the hometown of American aviation pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright; and Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Piccard said the Solar Impulse 2 team hopes to leave the US sometime this week on the next leg of their epic journey, a hope over the Atlantic Ocean to Europe.
The team said weather conditions will dictate when they leave the US and also, their next destination. Right now, the prime choices appear to be Ireland, France, Spain, or Portugal.
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