This is an event where Iowa middle-school students race solar powered cars that they have designed and built. Although many of the parts and components are provided for the student, winning the race relies on the students' creativity as well as math, science and teamwork skills. The students research and experiment with concepts such as aerodynamics, solar power and friction, learning how these concepts interact with the car and its performance. The information in this manual is provided as a resource for local schools to use in facilitating solar car races, and can be downloaded in its entirety using Acrobat Reader.
Solar energy provides interesting and motivating lessons on renewable energy.
Students gain hands-on experience using solar power to generate direct current electricity and learn about photovoltaics. These lessons play an important role in influencing environmental decisions students will make during their lifetime. This manual contains materials from the nationwide Junior Solar Sprint program as well as other publications posted under Solar Car Resources .