Currently, a high-efficiency car company, Aperta Motors, is conducting test drives and safety tests on a new design of cars. These Aperta are three-wheelers, covered by 34 square feet of solar panels, which provide enough energy to drive up to 40 miles on a sunny day.
Advances in Solar Panel Technology in Recent Years and Its Use in Solar Car Development
Dr. Raj Shah Mr. Andrew Kim, Mr, Stanley Zhang | Koehler Instrument Company
In response to increasing gas emissions, air pollution, and global warming, a new and reliable renewable energy source is needed to alleviate major environmental concerns and become a sustainable alternative to burning fossil fuels. Solar energy is the fastest growing renewable energy source in the US and is projected to overtake the current, most utilized renewable energy source, hydropower, by 2030 [1]. Solar energy refers to the conversion of heat and light energy from the sun into electricity. It is considered the “cheapest electricity in history with technology cheaper than coal and gas” [2] since the sun is a free resource and converting light energy into electrical energy takes the least amount of time and power [2]. Due to the pressing needs for a renewable, carbon-free energy source, the diffusion of photovoltaic (PV) panel applications has been growing exponentially in recent years.