Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 14.10
In July 2007 Louis Palmer of Switzerland began his trip around the world in a solar
energy-operated vehicle.
Photos: www.solartaxi.com.
His route took him over 50 000 km through 50 countries on fi ve different continents
in 15 months. On the trip he and his team took advantage of numerous stops and
events to introduce solar techniques and provide impetus for the use of new climate-
friendly technologies. After taking a test drive many interested people in the coun-
tries visited became enthusiastic about the technology.
The solar taxi is designed as an electric car. It has a 5-metre trailer that is surfaced
with six square metres of solar cells. A new type of battery stores the electricity,
thereby enabling the car to be driven at night and when there is no sun. The daily
range is about 100 km. If long distances are to be driven, the battery is recharged
using additional solar energy from the grid. A photovoltaic system was installed
specifi cally for this purpose on a roof in Bern, Switzerland.
14.3.3 Across Australia in Thirty-Three Hours
The World Solar Challenge is proving that solar cars are already capable of extremely
high performance. This event has been taking place regularly in Australia since 1987
and is the most rigorous race in the world for solar cars. The race follows a route
on public roads for around 3000km right across Australia - from Darwin in the
north to Adelaide on the south coast. The racing teams try to cover as great a distance
as possible between the hours of eight in the morning and fi ve in the afternoon.
The vehicles battling for fi rst place in the race are technical masterpieces. The size
of the batteries is restricted by the rules and the only energy allowed is what is
supplied by solar modules that are mounted directly onto the vehicles. Powerful
solar cells with effi ciencies of well over 20% provide the necessary drive energy.
The cars are optimized for aerodynamics and trimmed to a minimal weight. As a
result of constant technical advances and more and more effi cient solar cells, the
average speeds of the winners have been increasing steadily. In 2005 it was
