Debut at the NM Solar Energy Fiesta; plans for international competition
10-3-08 -- UNM Electrical and Computer Engineering Department students will be designing and building a solar-powered car in Dr. Olga Lavrova's Photovoltaics class. With a donation from Sandia National Labs, Dr. Lavorvoa and some of her students were able to present the outer body and the inner frame at the New Mexico Solar Energy Association’s Solar Fiesta in Albuquerque, September 20-21, 2008.
Students will build a light-weight, aerodynamic, fully operation car, powered only by the sun, which should be capable of reaching highway speeds of up to 75mph. Then they will compete in a solar-powered car rally across North America.
The class is part of a new curriculum in the ECE department concentrated around power and renewable energy with a special emphasis on photovoltaics. Upper level students can take new technical elective classes such as Photovoltaics, Power Electronics, Emerging Energy: Generation, Transmission and Distribution, and several other classes that focus on sustainability studies.
The ultimate goal of the Solar Car project is to be able to compete, and, hopefully, place in one of the top places, in the North American Solar Challenge. Students design, build, and drive solar-powered vehicles across North America in a timed rally event. This year, competitors travelled more than 2400 miles from Plano, TX, to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Teams from the US, Germany, Canada, and Great Britain were among the participants. The UNM ECE Department is planning on having the first solar car representing the State of New Mexico in the 2010 North American Solar Challenge. They plan to participate in other international auto shows as well. For more information, go to the UNM Solar car web site.