Types of Alternative Fuel – Solar Power

A solar powered vehicle is an electric vehicle powered by solar energy obtained by solar panels that are on the surface of the car. Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the sun’s energy directly into electrical energy.

Solar cars are not practical day-to-day transportation devices at present, but are primarily demonstration vehicles and engineering exercises. Solar cars compete in races (often called rayces) such as the World Solar Challenge and the American Solar Challenge. These events are often sponsored by government agencies, such as the United States Department of Energy, who are keen to promote the development of alternative energy technology such as solar cells.

Such challenges are often entered by universities to develop their students’ engineering and technological skills, but many professional teams have entered competitions as well, including teams from GM and Honda.
The electrical system is the most important part of the solar car’s systems as it controls all of the power that comes into and leaves the system. The battery pack plays the same role in a solar car that a gas tank plays in a normal car in storing power for future use.

Solar cars achieve their performance by extreme lightness of weight along with very efficient aerodynamics. Those simple concepts would require unacceptable compromises that would not really be feasible for a day-to-day transportation device.

Conventional vehicles today are built for passenger comfort, among other considerations making the ultra-compact nature of a solar car impractical for the everyday consumer. Meeting contemporary safety standards would make a solar car much less aerodynamic and heavier which would require more power to achieve standard highway speeds. With current and foreseeable technologies, it is unlikely a completely solar car will become commercially available.

However, solar cars are basically electric cars with an inbuilt recharging capability, so when you take engineering knowledge and pair it with technology develop in competition solar cars that may help the development of battery electric vehicles and even hybrid vehicles.

Still, there is a question as to whether if battery electric vehicles become popular, it will be worthwhile fitting them with solar cells to extend their range and allowing them to recharge while parked anywhere in the sun. While a solar powered vehicle would be a no emission vehicle and great for the environment, having one become an everyday use vehicle is probably not going to happen.

But, one very practical application for a solar powered vehicle could lie within the golf cart industry. While many golf carts are electrically powered, there are still many that run on gas thus releasing the same greenhouse gases that come from cars.

Golf carts aren’t used for hours on end ? except by my husband ? and they spend most of their time parked in the sun. Besides saving on electricity ? which is getting more and more expensive every day ? they can also reduce gas emissions completely. At least it’s a start!