Solar powered cars
Powering cars using solar energy has some great benefits:
- Using solar energy means fossil fuels (which are a limited resource) will be used less.
- Solar energy is free.
- Solar energy doesn’t cause pollution.
- Solar energy will never run out
Like solar thermal energy which converts solar energy to heat, PV cells directly convert sunlight into electricity. When sunlight (photons) strike PV cells, they excite electrons and allow them to flow, creating an electric current. PV cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon and alloys of indium, gallium and nitrogen. Crystalline silicon is the most common material used and has an efficiency rate of 15-20%..
Solar cars are powered by electricity through the use of solar energy. Solar panels are attached to the surface (generally, the top) of the vehicle. Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the Sun’s energy directly into electrical energy. Solar cars depend on a solar array that uses photovoltaic cells (PV cells) to convert sunlight into electricity. Usually, The solar array consists of hundreds of solar cells. The battery pack in a typical solar car is sufficient to allow the car to go 250 miles (400 km) without sun, and allow the car to continuously travel at speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h).The motors used in solar cars typically generate about 2 or 3 horsepower, yet experimental light solar cars may attain the sameeed as a typical family car (100 mph (160 km/h))