10-09-2016, 10:58 AM
[attachment=70893]
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.
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.