The World Solar Challenge
Posted on April 9, 2009, under Latest News and Trends.
It’s that time of the year again when the Australian Outback will once again become the scene for the World Solar challenge – a car racing competition where 40 teams from around the world will compete against each other to showcase the most efficient and sustainable solar car prototype. The World Solar Challenge is focussed upon supporting research and designs for automobiles that make use of solar energy to travel.
Solar Car by Honda
Automakers around the world tune in to the World Solar Challenge since this competition often brings to the fore, car designs and studies that will ultimately help in bringing better and more fuel efficient, energy efficient cars into the car market. I know that there are a lot of people who bank upon research of this sort. Some of us are indeed very conscientious about the carbon footprint they leave behind. This is reason why they never even apply for car loans, or discuss car credit with any car finance company.
Their idea is that more cars on the road means a bigger carbon footprint, however we shouldn’t forget that a majority of our urban population prefers to use public transport. And until we find a prototype that will indeed answer to the growing calls for energy efficient and fuel intake reduction, it stands to reason to buy an automobile that at least support clean technology and causes as little pollution as possible.
The 2009 World Solar Challenge will be fought out on the Stewart Highway, chosen because it is a highway that continues in one direction only for a gruelling 1,689 miles with blinding sunlight, blistering heat, sand storms, and bush fired regularly putting in an appearance.
And if you think that the solar powered cars appearing for the Challenge are going to be slow-moving box types then think again. When these smart cars descended on the road for the Challenge in 2007, the challenge was to remain below the allowed speed limit on Australian roads.
This time around, the organisers have made a few more rules such as – the total available area for solar panels cannot exceed 6m2, the driver should remain in an upright position throughout the drive and there should be a steering wheel. (Considering there’s just one turn in the whole road, I wonder how the poor fellows driving these cars are going to fare in the heat.)
Among the many teams entering the challenge, the teams to watch out for include the Delft Univ team from the Netherlands whose car Nuna5 is an enhanced version of the Nuna4 which completed the race in 33 hours in 2007. The Nuna5 uses superior gallium arsenide cells which convert 26 percent of the solar energy hitting the panels into electricity that powers the car. This is a 6 per cent increase from the figures of other teams.
Amongst the other teams, there is Eleanor from MIT, Michigan and Bethany from Cambridge in the UK. All the teams are raring to go and very excited about the prospects of solar energy being harnessed to provide clean energy forms.
