Author: Levi Quinn
As you are aware, the majority of the vehicles on the road use gas or other alternatives to fuel them. Right now, we are experiencing and being introduced to different alternatives to power vehicles. We are being introduced to rivals — natural gasses and propane. A good example is the solar vehicle — which is an electric vehicle that is powered by some type of renewable energy through solar energy — that comes from solar panels placed on the surface of a vehicle ,especially the roof.
The sun’s energy is converted into electrical energy by photovoltaic (PV) cells. Unbelievably, It takes hundreds of photovoltaic cells to produce a one-half volt of electricity to be able to convert the sunlight into electricity. Vehicles that use solar power are not your ordinary, practical transportation vehicles that you see on a day to day basis. Vehicles that use solar energy are primarily for demonstration purposes, as well as for engineering exercises that are, in most cases, sponsored by government agencies. The sun is the sole source of solar energy. Nuclear fusion is the process where heat and light are produced from the sun. Even though not many vehicles are currently using solar energy, the future looks very exciting.
The sun’s energy can be used to cool and heat buildings, operate communication and navigation systems, as well as generate electricity. How cool is that? The sun’s energy is retained by solar panels that are commonly placed on top of vehicles to power the vehicle, as well as charge the batteries that can be later be used when the sun is not available — kind of like when it goes behind a cloud. As soon as the sun arises, the batteries are then recharged to maintain their performance. A majority of cars are designed to put all the sun energy towards driving, thereby, keeping nothing in reserve. Without reserve power, the car will stop completely — in the case of long cloud periods when driving.
Energy is always placed towards driving. If it was put towards just keeping the battery charged, it would take quite a toll on the engine — then the engine would eventually stall. There are a lot of questions that still need to be answered by the engineers, as well as the scientists involved, in this technology before it becomes an economical — as well as an efficient way to fuel different vehicles. This technology is good for those who are not happy with the rapidly rising prices of gas that continuing hamper the environment.
It is a common thing nowadays to hear about gas prices going up by high percentages, as well as the scarcity of the commodity in many stations. Solar vehicles would then be the best alternative to gas or propane powered vehicles. Solar power is also known to be pollution free as well as inexhaustible. If enough research is done in the coming few years, and considering the many debacles that have come to be associated with solar power, it may replace the combustion cars that people are using at the moment.
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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Vehicles Using Solar Power