Solar Power: Future of Transportation
Clean Alternative Source of Energy
Jenlyn Rose T. Calalis
College of Engineering
City of Malolos, Bulacan
jenlynrosecalalis@yahoo.com
I. PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Solar Technologies could be traced back to 1860s when
expectation about the scarcity of non-renewable resources
started. Renewed efforts for research were made during the
late 1900s because of the energy crisis caused by the Iranian
Revolution. Coal, Petroleum and natural gas may be
considered as Natural Resources but it takes thousand of years
to form naturally and cannot be replaced as fast as they were
consumed. Today, it was predicted that this Gas supplies
should last for 200 years and Coal for 300 years.
On the other hand, the carbon emission from the
combustion of fossil fuels increased by 40%. This cause a
significant increase on Earths temperature as well as sea
levels. The atmospheric concentration of Greenhouse also
increased. It is the balanced between the emission of human
related activities (source) and the removal of gas from the
atmosphere by conversion to different chemical compound.
Moreover, Transport has a particularly important place in
national energy and development planning. It is a major
consumer of oil, accounting for 50-60 per cent of total
petroleum use in most developing countries. It is often a major
source of local air pollution and regional acidification of the
environment in industrial and developing countries. Vehicle
markets will grow much more rapidly in developing countries,
adding greatly to urban air pollution, which in many cities
already exceeds international norms. Unless strong action is
taken, air pollution could become a major factor limiting
industrial development in many Third World cities.
II. OBJECTIVES
The aim of this research is to find new ways to produce
energy to aid the need for new resources to use for
transportation. Energy is needed for survival; and its
development crucially depends on its long term availability in
increasing quantities from sources that are safe, clean and
environmentally sound. It also needs to be economically
beneficial for the government which reduces energy
dependence.
III. DISCUSSION
A. What is Solar Vehicle?
A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely
or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic
(PV) cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy
directly into electric energy. The term "solar vehicle" usually
implies that solar energy is used to power all or part of a
vehicle's movement. Solar power may be also used to provide
power for communications or controls or other auxiliary
functions.
B. Common Design
The design of a solar vehicle is severely limited by the
amount of energy input into the car. Solar cars depend on a
solar array that uses photovoltaic cells.
When sunlight (photons) strike PV cells, they excite
electrons and allow them to flow, creating an electric current.
PV cells are made of semiconductor materials such as silicon
and alloys of indium, gallium and nitrogen. Crystalline silicon
is the most common material used and has an efficiency rate
of 15-20%.
The solar array consists of hundreds of photovoltaic solar
cells. In order to construct an array, PV cells are placed
together to form modules which are placed together to form an
array.
The solar array can be mounted in six ways:
Horizontal. This most common arrangement gives most
overall power during most of the day in low latitudes or higher
latitude summers and offers little interaction with the wind.
Horizontal arrays can be integrated or be in the form of a free
canopy.
Vertical. This arrangement is sometimes found in free
standing or integrated sails to harness wind energy. Useful
solar power is limited to mornings, evenings, or winters and
when the vehicle is pointing in the right direction.
 Adjustable. Free solar arrays can often be tilted around the
axis of travel in order to increase power when the sun is low
and well to the side. An alternative is to tilt the whole vehicle
when parked. Two-axis adjustment is only found on marine
vehicles, where the aerodynamic resistance is of less
importance than with road vehicles.
Integrated. Some vehicles cover every available surface
with solar cells. Some of the cells will be at an optimal angle
whereas others will be shaded.
Trailer. Solar trailers are especially useful for retrofitting
existing vehicles with little stability, e.g. bicycles. Some
trailers also include the batteries and others also the drive
motor.
Remote. By mounting the solar array at a stationary
location instead of the vehicle, power can be maximised and
resistance minimized. The virtual grid-connection however
involves more electrical losses than with true solar vehicles
and the battery must be larger.
The energy input for the structural materials of a
photovoltaic system delivering 1 billion kWh is calculated to
be approximately 300 kWh/m2. The energy input/output ratio
for production is about 1:9 assuming a life of 20 years.
Other parts of a solar vehicle includes:
The motors used in solar cars typically about 2 or 3
horsepower, yet experimental light solar cars may attain the
same speed as a typical family car (100 mph (160 km/h)).
Solar cars can use AC or DC motors:
If the motor is a DC motor, then it may run on anything
from 96 to 192 volts. Many of the DC motors used in electric
cars come from the electric forklift industry.
If it is an AC motor, then it probably is a three-phase AC
motor running at 240 volts AC with a 300 volt battery pack.
The battery pack in a typical solar car is sufficient to allow
the car to go 250 miles (400 km) without sun, and allow the
car to continuously travel at speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h).
Batteries in solar applications have to meet the demands of
unstable grid energy, heavy cycling (charging and discharging)
and irregular full recharging. Theres a variety of battery types
fitted for these unique requirements. Considerations for
choosing a battery include cost, cycle life and installation and
maintenance.
Telemetry is an automated communications process by
which measurements and other data are collected at remote or
inaccessible points and transmitted to receiving equipment for
monitoring.
C. Some Solar Vehicles
Danish-born adventurer Hans Tholstrup was the first to
circumnavigate the Australian continent in a 16-foot (4.9 m)
open boat. At a later stage in his life he became involved in
various competitions with fuel saving cars and trucks. Already
in the 1980s, he became aware of the necessity to explore
sustainable energy as a replacement for the limited available
fossil fuel. Sponsored by BP, he designed the world's first
solar car, called The Quiet Achiever, and traversed the 4,052
km (2,518 mi) between Sydney, New South Wales and Perth,
Western Australia in 20 days. That was the precursor of the
World Solar Challenge.
The Bridgestone World Solar Challenge is primarily a
design competition to discover the worlds most efficient
electric car. Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the BWSC will
be held in Australia from October 8 to 15, 2017.
From racing cars, solar vehicles also affect the third world
countries. Roger Christen, a Quebecer who spent the last 28
years in Africa, saw an opportunity to solve with a single
product several important problems that Africans living in
remote areas face every day: having to walk long distances to
get water and lack of access to electricity.
The main problem is bringing the cost down enough to
make it affordable. In order to achieve that, they have been
using used bike frames and made several iterations. They say
that the latest Solar-E-Cycles can travel up 50 km (31 miles)
per day and it can reach a top speed 50 km/h (31 mph).
Furthermore, they are partnering with economic
development efforts in order to finance the manufacturing of
the bikes and then rent them at low-cost $0.50 to $1 per day.
Chinese solar panel manufacturer Hanergy plans to build
and sell solar cars equipped with lithium-ion batteries to
consumers in China. Hanergy says that five to six hours of
sunlight should allow the cars thin-film solar cells to generate
between 8-10 kWh of power a day, allowing the car to travel
about 80 km (50 mi) on solar power alone.
The Tindo bus is a 100% solar bus that operates as free
public transport service in Adelaide City as an initiative of the
City Council. Bus services which use electric buses that are
partially powered by solar panels installed on the bus roof,
intended to reduce energy consumption and to prolong the life
cycle of the rechargeable battery of the electric bus, have been
put in place in China.
The Sky-Sailor is a plane that contains solar cells on its
wings, developed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
in Zurich. It is hoped it will be able to search the Martian
surface and even send pictures back to Earth.
 D. Advantages and Disadvantages REFERENCE:

Photovoltaic technology offers several environmental Retrieved from http://dieoff.org/page84.htm

advantages in producing electricity compared with fossil fuel
technologies. For example, using present photovoltaic
technology, carbon dioxide emissions and other pollutants are
negligible.
PV solar energy is perhaps the only energy technology
whose electricity generation cost could be reduced by half or
more over the next five years. Better and more efficient
manufacturing process and new technology such as advanced
thin film solar cell is a good example of that helps to reduce
industry cost.
Their solar panels work silently so they dont add to the
noise pollution already on the road. Solar panels dont create
greenhouse gases, as gasoline engines do. Most importantly,
solar energy is free, widely available, and grants the solar car
driver complete independence from foreign oil.
Retrieved from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photovoltaic_effect
Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanergy
Retrieved from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_energy
Retrieved from http://www.un-documents.net/ocf-07.htm
Retrieved from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_emission
Retrieved from
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Solar_Challenge
Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky-Sailor

Solar Power is an icon of the 'green power' movement,
however the process of manufacturing the quartz based panels
can be detrimental to the environment. Raw quartz (silica) is
used to create solar cells must be mined using harsh chemicals
that harm the surrounding environment, as well as those
working in the mines.
Solar Vehicles are still developing for mass production
And making it available to the public. Many things have to be
considered. The important thing is that with this technology,
the benefit outweighs the cost.
Retrieved from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemetry
Retrieved from https://www.dasolar.com/solar-energy/solar-
powered-cars
Retrieved from
https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/129623/whic
h-kind-of-motor-would-be-better-for-an-electric-solar-car-
geared-or-non-gea
Retrieved from
https://www.solarenergyworld.com/2012/08/07/how-solar-
power-myths-cost-money/

IV. CONCLUSION Retrieved from http://control.ee.ethz.ch/~solpow/

Energy is not so much a single product as a mix of

products and services, a mix upon which the welfare of
individuals, the sustainable development of nations, and the
life-supporting capabilities of the global ecosystem depend.
Energy is too important for its development to continue in
such a random manner. A safe, environmentally sound, and
economically viable energy pathway that will sustain fast and
safe transportation into the distant future is clearly imperative.
It is also possible. But it will require new dimensions of
political will and institutional cooperation to achieve it.

It is clear that a low energy path is the best way towards a

sustainable future. Many companies, NGOs and private
individuals had already started the way to make vehicles solar
powered. The bottom line is that electric and solar technology
will be an essential part of future low-emissions transportation
that will be attractive to consumers and better for the
environment. The bottom line is that solar technology will be
an essential part of future low-emissions transportation that
will be attractive to consumers and better for the environment.