Solar Cars
Let's face it, nearly everyone wants
a solar car. However, at present, even the fancy ones you see in the solar
car races are transferring from sunlight to wheels around the same power
that it takes to run a hair dryer...about 1500 watts. A little disappointed?
Don't be.
The Queen's University RADIANCE
brinkled its way across Canada in July of 2000, visiting most major cities
on its way. Radiance started from
Nova Scotia July 1, 2000 and arrived in Vancouver, B.C. July 29th. The Queens'
University Solar Car team set the Guinness world land distance record for
solar vehicles. Using only 1,000 watts of power, they drove 7044
km (4377 miles), at an average speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) . Radiance took second place at both Sunrayce
'99 and the 1999 World Solar Challenge in Australia.
Queens University
Solar Car Team, with "Gemini", 2003
(Photo by: Stefano Paltera / American Solar Challenge)
America Solar
Challenge
"With students behind the wheels, the high-tech
and high-efficiency solar cars will cross the Great Plains, climb the Rocky
Mountains, dart over the great American desert, and dash across the finish
line in Southern California."
World Solar Challenge
[Powered only by sunlight, cars from around the globe
compete to cross the Australian outback in record time.]
Winston
Solar Challenge
["...is an international education program designed
for teaching high school students the physics and technology associated
with a road worthy solar car." Check out their informative History of Solar
Car Racing.
However, if a simple working model solar car
is where you'd like to start:
SunWind
sells individual and classroom kits for building simple
solar cars and other solar-driven
machines.
Junior Solar Sprint
is a fun hands-on educational program for 6th, 7th and
8th grade students in the U.S.A. Students are supplied with solar
panels, motors, and detailed suggestions; and mentored to build and race
working model solar cars. Excellent middle school mechanics instructions
wrapped around designing and building a solar car. Free downloads in pdf
format and animated computer programs.
Building a Model
Solar Car HomePage
[Instructions prepared by the Minnesota Renewable
Energy Society for Junior Solar Sprint cars.]
Chuck Wright's
Home Page
Chuck Wright has a site to explore! Check out his
energy-use calculators, his inexpensive pyranometer, his detailed notes
on Jr. Solar Sprint Cars, and lots more.
Solar Boats
Sunlight on the water-planet...
Try a solar boat.
SOLAR
SPLASH "is the World Championship of Solar/Electric boating.
It is an international intercollegiate competition that takes place
over five days."
Electric Vehicles
Although not strictly solar, you may be interested
in Electrifying Times
for zero emissions (depending on their source of electricity) vehicles.
A great site for general information about electric
vehicles is ElectroAuto.com.
No other electric car company has this depth
of automotive experience. No one else has been building
electric cars as long."
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