10-09-2016, 10:58 AM
1454327244-EnergyLawSolarVehicles.pdf (Size: 62.09 KB / Downloads: 66)
What are Solar Cars?
• Solar cars are cars powered by a type of
renewable energy -- in this case solar power
• This solar energy is obtained by solar panels
attached to the car
• Presently, solar cars are not used much for
day to day transportation, but for
demonstrations and engineering exercises
Overview
• Solar cars use the solar
array to collect energy
from the sun.
• This energy is then stored
by batteries in the
electrical system for the
car to run on.
• The mechanical design of
the car allows for
maximum utility of the
electric energy gathered
from the sun.
How Do Solar Cars Work?
• Solar Array
Solar cells
Positioning
• Electrical System
• Mechanical System
Solar Array
The Solar array is
made up of hundreds
of photovoltaic (PV)
solar cells that convert
sunlight to electricity
using the “photovoltaic
effect
Photovoltaic Effect
• Sunlight is composed of photons, or "packets" of
energy. These photons contain various amounts of
energy corresponding to the different wavelengths of
light.
• When photons strike a solar cell, they are absorbed
and when a photon is absorbed, the energy of the
photon is transferred to an electron in an atom of the
solar cell.
• With its newfound energy, the electron is able to
escape from its normal position associated with that
atom to become part of the current in an electrical
circuit.