Just as conventional batteries harness chemical differences to generate voltage, photovoltaic cells use special silicon wafers with two layers -- one that donates electrons, one that accepts electrons -- to create a difference in electrical potential. The electric current flows through a wire that connects to eight batteries storing a total of 96 volts to power the solar car's motor.
The solar cells are strung into seven independent arrays containing more than solar cells each. But woe if one cell breaks, Segre said: "It's akin to the Christmas tree light effect. Power consumption depends on vehicle speed. When the car moves slower than 40 miles per hour, batteries store the excess power generated by the solar arrays. At faster speeds, the car sucks juice from the battery. The car also features "regenerative brakes," which "recycle" energy of motion that in conventional cars is lost during braking.
Regenerative brakes trap significant power. Segre recalled a highlight of the race as the Third Degree Burner neared the finish line in Claremont, Calif. So there we were, passing traffic and charging our batteries. Everyone was so excited, and the driver was howling into the radio. Cost, not technology, remains the biggest deterrent to commercial viability, Segre said. Like computer chips, solar cells are made from silicon wafers requiring pure and exotic materials, and chip manufacturers demand top dollar.
Whereas one silicon wafer is used to make one solar cell, that same wafer can be the precursor of many computer chips, each of which command a handsome price. The lighter the vehicle, the less work the motor has to do to move the car.
Vehicles tend to be flat and wide to maximize surface area while still being aerodynamic. Many solar-powered cars have a maximum speed between 40 and 60 miles per hour That's not enough to make your average highway patrol officer bat an eye. But the University of Michigan Solar Car Team raced a car in that could earn a heavy-footed driver more than a few speeding tickets. The team's car, called the Infinium, reportedly reached the record-breaking speed of miles per hour kilometers per hour during a qualifying race for the American Solar Challenge, an annual solar-powered car race.
The six-day race was a tough 1,mile 1,kilometer course and the car averaged 40 miles per hour As solar panel technology improves, we may see engineers incorporate it into other electric vehicle designs.
Purdue University. SPOT 2. Purdue University Solar Racing. Queen's University Canada. Radiance Gemini. Queen's Solar Vehicle Team. Red River College.
Red River Raycer. Rice University. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology. Rose-Hulman Solar Car Team. Southern Illinois Uni Edwardsville. Cougar Cruiser. Southern Illinois University. South Bank University, UK. Mad Dog. South Bank Mad Dog Team. Solar Motion. South Dakota Solar Motion Team. Southern Taiwan University Tech. Southern Taiwan Solar Team. Stanford University. Stanford Solar Car Project. Tamagawa University - Japan.
Tamagawa Solar Challenge Project. Team Futura, Italy. Team Futura. Team SunLake - Japan. Phaethon model. Columbia Sunraycer. The Power of One - Toronto. The Xof1 solar car team.
Tufts University. ANNE E. Nerd Girls. University of Alberta. University of Alberta Team. University of Arizona. University of Calgary. University of California-Berkeley. California Calsol Team. University of Kansas. Solution, CATalyst. University of Kentucky. Gato del Sol II. University of Massachusetts. Spirit of Mass Lowell Solar Racing Team. University of Michiga n. University of Michigan. University of Minnesota. Borealis III. U of M Solar Vehicle Project.
University of Missouri - Columbia. Suntiger VI. The Mizzou Solar Car Project. University of Missouri - Rolla. Attach the small motor pulley to the motor shaft. Determine where to mount the motor by connecting the driving pulley with the motor pulley using an elastic band as a drive belt.
Position the motor so the band is slightly stretched but don't stretch it too much! Mount the motor with glue or tape it in between a small frame of wood or cardboard blocks.
Use clear plastic tape to attach the two solar cells together side-by-side; then connect them in a series circuit using the alligator clip leads. Connect the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of the other. Connect the remaining terminals to the motor. If the motor spins the wrong way, switch the leads where they connect to the motor.
Once it's connected properly, you'll probably want to use tape to help keep the wires under control. Mount the solar cells on the chassis at an angle where they will receive the most sun. Take your car outside to a sunny sidewalk, connect the drive belt, and watch it go! Designing and building a car from scratch involves a lot of perseverance and trial and error, so don't be discouraged if yours doesn't work perfectly right away.
Experiment to see if you can improve the design of your solar car. How fast does it go? Does it drive straight? How would it perform with only one solar cell? What if you used smoother wheels for less friction? Keep testing new ideas to make your car work better. And that's what happens with energy from the sun —it changes into lots of different forms: Plants convert light energy from the sun into chemical energy food by the process of photosynthesis.
Animals eat plants and use that same chemical energy for all their activities. Heat energy from the sun causes changing weather patterns that produce wind. Wind turbines then convert wind power into electrical energy.
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