Question about solar power… please help.

[newby]

I’m designing a concept car, and I want it to be an environment friendly. Mostly in design aspects so it will fit any environment around, whether it is a hotel or a luxurious restaurant entrance or a house on the countryside. But the idea is to create a environment friendly car4 in common meaning.

My question is: I’m not going to create a solar powered car I want to know will it be able to save, lets say, 10% of the energy usually used (the car is hybrid and pretty small like Daihatsu Copen or Mini) if we have 1 square meter of solar battery on the roof? What if we have 2 square meters? Or it is such a small amount of energy that it is not worth it? Yet I think that even if it gives a 5% it is worth for the environment.

[VtecMini]

Just for clarity, what you're referring to is a panel which turns the sun's ray in to electricity which is stored for later use, yeah? In that case, what you're looking at is called a photovoltaic cell, rather than a solar panel, which generically refers to anything that harnesses the suns energy, but is actually the name of a device which uses the suns energy to heat water, rather than store electricity.

The problem with photovoltaics is that, like a hybrid, they need batteries to store the energy they harness, which is a problem in a car, but you'll need some for your hybrid system, so theoretically, you've got that covered.

The other problem with photovoltaics is that fundamentally, they're shite. They cost a lot to produce and the required embodied energy (the energy used up in the manufacture of them) is quite high, generally cancelling out the benefit to the environment that one might presume.

I know that doesn't answer your question, but I hope it goes some way to helping you find the answer.

That said, Venturi have just exhibited a couple of electric cars at the Paris Motorshow, they'd probably be worth a look for more info:

Astrolab:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2905

Eclectic:
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/frame...hp&carnum=2907

[Coventrysucks]

My question is: I’m not going to create a solar powered car I want to know will it be able to save, lets say, 10% of the energy usually used (the car is hybrid and pretty small like Daihatsu Copen or Mini) if we have 1 square meter of solar battery on the roof? What if we have 2 square meters? Or it is such a small amount of energy that it is not worth it? Yet I think that even if it gives a 5% it is worth for the environment.

You may wish to consider that in manufacturing and fitting the solar panels, you may use more energy than you might "save" over a normal car when in use.

I don't know if that is the case or not, but certainly something to look into.

I know that certainly VW and Audi use solar panels in sunroofs to power the air conditioning of the car when parked, so that heat does not build up.

I don't know where you'd find out how much energy those panels actually generate.

Have you tried contacting a company that makes solar panels and asking them for some information?

[Alastor]

My question is: I’m not going to create a solar powered car I want to know will it be able to save, lets say, 10% of the energy usually used (the car is hybrid and pretty small like Daihatsu Copen or Mini) if we have 1 square meter of solar battery on the roof? What if we have 2 square meters? Or it is such a small amount of energy that it is not worth it? Yet I think that even if it gives a 5% it is worth for the environment.

On a sunny clear day, solar loading can exceed 1100 W/m². That is according the US military environmental test standards (MIL-STD-810F). Keep in mind most days the solar loading will be less, and solar panels are not going to be 100% efficient.

[nota]

The other problem with photovoltaics is that fundamentally, they're shite. They cost a lot to produce and the required embodied energy (the energy used up in the manufacture of them) is quite high, generally cancelling out the benefit to the environment that one might presume.

You might be interested in the new Solar Sliver technology invented by the ANU, which has the claimed potential iirc to cut manufacturing cost to one tenth of current price

Detailed description
http://solar.anu.edu.au/level_1/pubs...iver_Cells.pdf

Or

http://www.originenergy.com.au/files...tsheetFIN5.pdf
Brief intro ^ taken from below
http://www.originenergy.com.au/about...hp?pageid=1233
Also
http://www.originenergy.com.au/envir...hp?pageid=1246

[Cyco]

Detailed description

That makes massive improvements in energy consumption, very impressive.

[nota]

That makes massive improvements in energy consumption, very impressive.

What is less impressive is that Sliver tech has joined the queue of so many other clever Oz innovations to be shipped off overseas, after failing to garner the comparitively miserable AU$100 million required to fully develop it locally

It all seemed to be done in unseemly haste too, after being in the public domain for only a brief time. Why cannot this country capitalise on its ingenuity? Where was Treasurer Peter Costello's much vaunted Future Fund?

Still, it appears to be very promising. But a real pity the potential wealth generated goes offshore and our nation won't be the most direct beneficiary .. again!

[ruim20]

Concept for Peugeot Competition?

[Cyco]

$100m isnt that much for the potential returns.

Is it definatly gone?

[nota]

$100m isnt that much for the potential returns.

Is it definatly gone?

$100m seems a pittance

Was announced in the news last week

[newby]

Concept for Peugeot Competition?

Does Peugeot has any competition?

[Cyco]

Maybe I should watch the news

$100m isn't much to raise if you have the know how - unfortunatly most inventors are good at inventing, not so good at business. They need a busineesman

[Coventrysucks]

http://www.peugeot-concours-design.com/index_en.htm

[newby]

wow Peugeot Competition sounds cool, yet i'm not sure if my concept fits the idea. Peugeot Competition usialy represents an idea of a future car, mine is about design and ecology...