SUNNY SIDE UP
Gearing up for a solar challenge
Many things drive an industry forward and one of the earliest events for
Issue V 2009
solar energy has been the Global Green Challenge set up in Australia.
When it began the technology was primitive and not all the cars
completed the race. Now it is the biggest event of its type and is a key
technology driver for universities and companies around the world and is
a much technology instigator than war.. The Tokai University of Japan has
-pv-management.com
just released details of its entry for the next race.
.solar
www
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Construction has been completed on Tokai
University’s solar car equipped with Sharp solar
cells boasting the highest level of conversion
efficiency in the world (at the time of writing). A
team from Tokai University will use the solar car in
the Global Green Challenge, one of the world’s
largest solar car races, to be held in Australia.
The solar car category of the Global Green
Challenge has vehicles powered only by the sun’s
energy traverse the Australian continent for a
distance of about 3,000 km. Tokai University
drivers will include Kenjiro Shinozuka, who in 1997
became the first Japanese to achieve overall
victory in the Paris to Dakar Rally, as well as Tokai Tokai University School of Engineering’s
University students and alumni. Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering.
The “Tokai Challenger” solar car is equipped with
Sharp compound solar cells developed for outer The team for this year’s race is made up of 19
space applications. The cells have an output of members, mostly students. The Tokai University
1.8 kW and a cell conversion efficiency of 30%, Challenge Centre Team has crossed the Australian
the highest level in the world. desert three times, in 1993, 1996, and 2001, for the
World Solar Challenge, which evolved into the
Sharp is the only manufacturer whose solar cells Global Green Challenge in 2009. In 2008, with
are approved for use by the Japan Aerospace Kenjiro Shinozuka as driver, the team participated
Exploration Agency (JAXA). Sharp will continue in the roughly 4,200-km South African Solar
pushing forward with Research & Development on Challenge and emerged the overall winner of that
compound solar cells, in addition to crystalline and demanding race.
thin-film solar cells, which are currently Sharp’s
main solar power products. Overview of the Global Green Challenge
Race duration: October 24 to 31, 2009
The team, named Tokai University Challenge Race course: Darwin to Adelaide (distance of
Center Team, is led by Professor Hideki Kimura, approx. 3,000 km), Australia
who researches high-efficiency solar cars at the Organized by: South Australian Motor Sport Board
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