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Future Cars Tech
Flying Cars
Air Cars
Electric Cars
Hybrid Cars
Hydrogen Cars
Solar cars
Future Cars Reviews
Flying Cars
Air Cars
Electric Cars
Tribrid Cars
Hybrid Cars
Hydrogen Cars
Misc.
Future Cars Articles
What is OPEC?
Peak Oil Overview
Cars: Past and Present
Future Fuels
Electricity
Solar Energy
Biodiesel
Bioethanol
Hydrogen
Liquid Petroleum Gas
Methanol
Natural Gas
Biobutanol
Biogas
HDRD
ULSD
DMF
DME
Synthetic Fuels
Considerations
Fuel Comparison
Future Cars > Future Cars Tech > Future Solar Cars
Future Solar Cars
Inside This Section:
What are Solar Cars?
Notable Models and the Future
Solar cars have been around for a while, but with recent developments in solar car design and the measurement of photovoltaic cells becoming smaller, the dream of a truly efficient solar cars is more reality than fantasy.
Solar cars are vehicles powered by photovoltaic cells, also called solar cells, which convert sunlight (solar energy) into electrical energy.
In the book Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of our Sun, astrophysicists Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff note that, as a source of energy on earth, there’s nothing like the sun: in a mere one thousandth of one second (.001), the sun emits enough energy to fulfill our planet’s energy needs for the next 5,000 years.
It’s a staggering fact, and an exciting one: Since the energy from the sun is responsible for renewable resources such as wind, tides, and heat, solar energy seems to offer the brightest future for not only solar cars, but for the entire energy crisis. Despite the appearance that solar energy may be the least feasible among the current crop of alternative fuel propositions, new solar powered devices and more specifically solar powered cars are beginning to be developed. These future solar cars are only hybrids at this point, employing electricity along with solar power for use as propulsion, yet as the years progress so too will solar technology.
How do Solar Cars work?
The photovoltaic cells absorb so-called photons from sunlight. This action generates heat, which the cells then convert into electrical energy and stores in an on-board battery. This process of conversion is called the photovoltaic effect.
Not surprisingly, solar cars have zero emissions, and are very environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, at the moment photovoltaic cells are extremely inefficient, yet as time progresses the efficiency of these cells will grow. This will make solar energy and solar cars the fuel and car of the future—a closer reality.
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Future Solar Cars
Inside This Section:
Solar cars have been around for a while, but with recent developments in solar car design and the measurement of photovoltaic cells becoming smaller, the dream of a truly efficient solar cars is more reality than fantasy.
Solar cars are vehicles powered by photovoltaic cells, also called solar cells, which convert sunlight (solar energy) into electrical energy.
In the book Nearest Star: The Surprising Science of our Sun, astrophysicists Leon Golub and Jay M. Pasachoff note that, as a source of energy on earth, there’s nothing like the sun: in a mere one thousandth of one second (.001), the sun emits enough energy to fulfill our planet’s energy needs for the next 5,000 years.
It’s a staggering fact, and an exciting one: Since the energy from the sun is responsible for renewable resources such as wind, tides, and heat, solar energy seems to offer the brightest future for not only solar cars, but for the entire energy crisis. Despite the appearance that solar energy may be the least feasible among the current crop of alternative fuel propositions, new solar powered devices and more specifically solar powered cars are beginning to be developed. These future solar cars are only hybrids at this point, employing electricity along with solar power for use as propulsion, yet as the years progress so too will solar technology.
How do Solar Cars work?
The photovoltaic cells absorb so-called photons from sunlight. This action generates heat, which the cells then convert into electrical energy and stores in an on-board battery. This process of conversion is called the photovoltaic effect.
Not surprisingly, solar cars have zero emissions, and are very environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, at the moment photovoltaic cells are extremely inefficient, yet as time progresses the efficiency of these cells will grow. This will make solar energy and solar cars the fuel and car of the future—a closer reality.
Solar Cars Resources
Related Resources
Wikipedia: Solar Cars
University of Michigan Solar Car Team
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