Car Powered by Sharp's Solar Cells Wins the Fall 2009 Global Green Challenge in Australia

Sharp Corp., a major Japanese electronics manufacturer, announced October 29, 2009, that the Tokai University team had won the Global Green Challenge -- one of the world's largest solar car races -- using a solar-powered car named the "Tokai Challenger," equipped with the company's compound solar cells.

The team started the race October 25, 2009, in the city of Darwin, northern Australia, and won first place at the finish line in the southern city of Adelaide, at 2:39 pm (local time) on October 28 (the official end of the race was October 31), after driving approximately 3,000 kilometers at an average speed of about 100 kilometers per hour. Sharp provided the team with its compound solar cells, which have a conversion efficiency of 30 percent and an output of 1.8 kilowatts, and are the same as those used in satellite systems.

In the solar car portion of the challenge, the task is to race across the Australian continent in cars powered solely by solar energy. At the same time as encouraging the development and use of solar- or electric-powered vehicles, the Global Challenge is held to promote the use of more eco-friendly vehicles.

Sharp Releases New Monitoring Device that Displays Solar Power Data on TV and PC (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/029036.html
Global Green Challenge Race Updates
http://sharp-world.com/corporate/solar_car2009/
global green challenge
http://www.globalgreenchallenge.com.au/

Posted: 2010/01/23 06:00:15 AM

TAG Energy , Manufacturing industry , Transportation , University/Research institute