This project has students working in teams of two. Students receive a solar panel and a motor. Students study the concepts of aerodynamics, friction, solar power, effects on our environment, decrease in pollution emissions, conservation, etc. Students determine the importance of aerodynamics, fuel efficiency, and the chassis' weight in designing and building a more efficient miniature solar car. This project allows students to employ the same process used by professional mechanical engineers when they design something new.
Design relies on generating ideas.
The students build a miniature solar car and test their ideas. Public education and support are critical to advancing solar energy technology and its use. The goal is not to teach that solar is the answer to our energy problems. The goal is to teach students about solar power and to help them realize that although solar cars are not economically possible today, in the future solar energy could work. We need to educate children about renewable resources that have the potential to succeed many years for now.