How Does a Solar Racer Work?

Solar-powered vehicles are becoming more

common today. Solar cells power cars, boats,
airplanes and satellites in space. Solar racing is a
growing sport with competitions around the
world. Even some toys get their power from solar
panels.
From the most basic toy solar racer to the most
advanced solar-powered satellite, the
foundational elements date back more than a
century. The first dry cell battery was invented in
1895. Electrically powered cars debuted in 1900
and the solar panel was invented in 1941. With
each of these developments, mankind made
steady progress in harvesting the suns energy
and converting it to power.
Harnessing solar energy
Solar-powered vehicles get the energy they need
to move from the sun. Typically, the vehicles
have a large solar panel mounted on top. The
color of the panel is often black, as this assists
with its ability to absorb sunlight. Black objects,
as opposed to any other color, absorb the
greatest amount of light that falls upon them.
Usually, this means black objects simply get
hotter in the sun, but with solar racers the
energy is converted into electricity using solar
cells. These panels are connected to the cars
electric battery for excess electrical storage and
engine for fuel.
At its most basic level, a solar cell turns solar
radiation into electricity. A typical silicon solar
cell is made up of single or polycrystalline
structures. The atomic makeup of silicon is
altered to create P-type (atoms missing
electrons) and N-type (atoms containing
electrons) silicone crystals using phosphorus and

boron to create interactive layers of materials

that will react to sunlight.
When placed in the sun, photons from solar
radiation strike the top layer of silicon and create
an electron and a hole, prompting an
imperceptible exchange of electrons switching
between both P-type and N-type molecules. This
steady exchange creates of current through
which power is generated and voltage created.
These solar panels are then connected to devices
like batteries to store the electricity generated
for use in a vehicle like solar racers.
The design of solar racers
Because a solar racer relies on sunlight-based
power, most vehicles are designed with a broad
surface for capturing the suns rays. The design
is mainly necessary because of the inefficiencies
of solar panels. In a perfect world, a solar panel
could convert all of the light falling on the car
into energy. However, even the best of todays
solar cells can only convert around one-quarter
of the suns power into electricity.
The end result is a very low-horsepower vehicle
with a typical motor output of about 2 to 8
horsepower. The typical consumer automobile
retains an average of 100 to 150 horsepower in
comparison, which means these vehicles must be
designed as light as possible. The typical weight
of a two-seated racer is around 400 pounds,
allowing it to retain maximum speeds of nearly
90 miles per hour.
Solar racing as a sport
The sport of solar racing is quite popular in
sunny regions, the most popular race being the
World Solar Challenge in Australia. Vehicles
powered by solar energy are designed for

endurance races to cover the 3,000-kilometer

race (1,864 miles) in the least amount of time.
colleges and universities in the United States
often build and race solar cars. While the races
typically dont cover such grand distances as the
one in Australia, they still serve as excellent
learning experiences and prove a popular
competition among academic departments at
institutes.
Other solar-powered devices
Many vehicles use solar energy beyond roadfaring technology. For example, planes powered
by solar panels continue to grow in popularity
due to the capabilities they provide. The ideal
outcome is to design a vehicle capable of
maximizing solar energy conversion for virtually
endless flights. By reaching altitudes of more
than 80,000 feet (24,380 meters), more sunlight
can be captured and converted for even greater
electrical output. [Images: Cross-Country Flight
in a Solar-Powered Plane]
NASA's Juno spacecraft, which is on its way to
explore Jupiter, is the first solar-powered
spacecraft to explore the outer solar system. It
has three large solar arrays, each of which is the
size of a tractor-trailer.
Solar racer toys
Even more popular are the use of solar-powered
remote control toys like planes and cars. Rather
than relying on wall-charged batteries, these
devices have tiny solar panels installed on their
surfaces to draw upon the energy of the sun and
thus create a power source.
Solar racer toys employ the same principles of
solar powering used for full-size cars. Across
these devices are large, flat (sometimes curved)
solar panels attached to a small battery. The cars

operate much like any other remote control car,

though their power source is dependent on the
presence of a sun and thus suffers on cloudy
days.
Most solar racer toys require some assembly and
teach children how something as simple as
sunlight can be used to power everyday devices.
As the mankind continues to branch out,
renewable energy becomes a more popular and
important power source to consider due to its
clean and frequent availability.