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Solar-Powered Cars: Are They Possible?

By Amy C.

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 07Jun2011
Word count: 507
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Solar powered cars are not just a thing of the imagination. There have been attempts to demonstrate this concept over the years. Although most of them came out looking a bit strange and quite large, the students at colleges like MIT, U. of Michigan and Berkely are making great strides in that area.

The best we can hope for now is a car that primarily runs on solar energy with a battery backup. Some great minds are already doing this with a Toyota Prius. The engine of a car can run as long as it has a power source. Solar panels are great but can we get them to be small enough to be practical and still be able to collect enough of the suns' energy to be useful.

The entire world is looking into the use of solar panels and the use of solar energy to power a vehicle. It seems like there is a race between perfecting a solar car and/or a hydrogen driven vehicle. The hydrogen driven vehicle seems to be getting a lot of attention lately but we will never give up on harnessing the energy of the sun for use in automobiles.

The traditional definition of a solar car has been evolving. The green movement and the renewed interest in solar power are now defining a solar car as any car that is operated by electricity. This provided that the car has solar panels for day driving and an auxiliary battery for driving at night or in rain and snow. The car battery is recharged using the energy from the home solar powered energy systems.

Instead of a combustible engine the car runs on batteries. These batteries are the rechargeable types. The solar car will have solar panels and an energy converter to harness the suns' heat convert it into electrical current. Some of the newest inventions allow the inverter to send energy directly to the engine saving the battery for nights and bad weather. For instance, you may want to consider how a solar fountain can easily use solar panel to power the water pump that recirculates the water and creates a harmonious ecological balance.

Most solar cars are possible. The effort now is to create better photovoltaic cells. These are the parts that convert the energy from the sun into electricity. The use of silicon as a major part of the Photovoltic cells is presently unavoidable. These are what the semiconductors are made of. Their mission is to absorb the sunlight. Once the sunlight is absorbed it frees electrons creating a flow of them, this is what generates the electricity needed to power the engine.

Solar powered cars have a future and it remains to be seen what their final form will take. But it is safe to say that the bright young minds in our universities and the "home tinkerer" will never give up on making it smaller and better.

Amy C. invites you to browse delightful collection of solar fountains and rain barrels to create an ecological and sustainable garden decor.

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