COBEM99

SR7 Energia Eólica, Solar e Nuclear

Title:

TRADEOFFS IN THE DESIGN OF SOLAR POWERED VEHICLES

Summary :

ABSTRACT. THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO-MAYAGUEZ (UPRM) HAS MANY PAST EFFORTS IN DEVELOPING ALTERNATE ENERGY VEHICLES. DUE TO OUR LACK OF FOSSIL FUELS, THE ISLAND HAS TO IMPORT ALL OF ITS ENERGY PRODUCING FUELS. FURTHERMORE, OUR LIMITED LAND AREA HAS STRESSED THE NEED FOR CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES FOR THE ISLAND’S FUTURE WELL BEING. THE AUTOMOBILE HAS THE GREATEST POTENTIAL DUE TO ITS CENTRAL ROLE IN TODAY S SOCIETY. PAST EFFORTS INCLUDE PROJECTS SUCH AS ELECTRIC, HYBRID AND SOLAR POWERED VEHICLES (SPVS). IN 1990 "THE SHINING STAR OF THE CARIBBEAN", PUERTO RICO’S FIRST SPV PARTICIPATED IN GM SUNRAYCE, THE FIRST SOLAR POWERED VEHICLE RACE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. THE UPRM ALSO PARTICIPATED IN SUNRACYE 1993 (USA) AND THE WORLD SOLAR CUP (AUSTRALIA) WITH IT S SECOND GENERATION SPV, "DISCOVERY" AND IN SUNRAYCE 95 WITH THE THIRD GENERATION SPV, "THE SHINING STAR II”. THESE PROJECTS WERE DEVELOPED BY STUDENTS IN AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ENVIRONMENT. THIS PAPER DESCRIBES THE EVOLUTION AND DESIGN TRADEOFFS OF OUR SOLAR POWERED COMPETITION VEHICLES DURING THE PAST DECADE. THE MOST IMPORTANT DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS ARE ITS OVERALL EFFICIENCY, LOW COST, DESIGN FOR SERVICEABILITY, AND DESIGN FOR SHIPPING. EXPERIENCES LEARNED FROM THE COMPETITIONS ARE ALSO PRESENTED. KEYWORDS: SOLAR POWERED VEHICLES, ENGINEERING EDUCATION

Author :

Serrano, David 0

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