Solar Power Cars

Written by Administrator

Tuesday, 10 April 2007

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All About Solar Power cars

What are solar power cars?

Solar powered cars are electric cars which are powered by the sun's energy that is obtained from solar panels that are fixed to outer surface of the car. Then, photovoltaic cells convert the energy from the sun directly into electrical energy. Solar powered cars can only perform for limited distances without the sun's rays, so they are still not really seen as a efficient form of transport for day to day travel.

Solar powered cars were first designed and built by universities and manufacturers, and design development still continues on solar cell design and car power supply requirements such as the heater or air-conditioning fans.

The solar array on solar powered cars consists of hundreds of photovoltaic cells converting sunlight into electricity. Cars, unlike lots of other objects that use solar energy, can use a variety of solar cell technologies, which very often involves using mono-crystalline silicon, poly-crystalline silicon and gallium arsenide. Solar cars are often designed with incredibly unusual shapes, this is because designers are focused on reducing the drag factor, maximize full exposure to the sun, reducing weight and still make the vehicles as safe as can be.

The pros and cons:

There are both advantages and disadvantages to solar cars, and all of these factors should be carefully and thoughtfully considered. Some of the advantages include safety and convenience, for instance there are batteries available on most solar cars which store electrical energy that is to be used later by an electric motor when the need for electric power exceeds that of the power being created by the onboard power unit.

There is also the advantage involving efficiency, which relates to the fact that all solar cars are able to produce their full rated power at any speed, unlike that of regular automobiles. Another benefit of solar cars is that they are positive when it comes to economy and pollution. This is partly due the electric motor and an electric generator being one and the same component, and when an electrical current is passed through this component, it causes it to act as a motor and, thus, creates mechanical power.

There are certain some disadvantages as well, because most of the solar powered cars available do not have the power or speed of many of the regularly fossil fuel powered cars and vehicles.

Also, the battery on the solar car may have to be used far too frequently depending on the weather, for instance if it is dark or if there is no sun, you will have to rely on the battery of the car in order to make it work. This could be a problem for lots of people, this is probably why solar powered cars still aren't very popular today.

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