PV Gap

Roberta Said:

Pl. send any social org.Who can privide fin. support for my project of use of solar energy in automobile?

We Answered:

Our company took one of those 12 volt John Deere Gator toys that kids ride on, and mounted solar panels on the roof, and it would have to sit in the sun two solid days to charge the battery to where the kid could actually drive it.

It's only a working idea that they take to schools for energy fairs, and it's only to inspire. So I know if you are looking to actually power a real car, not even a golf cart (NEV) with solar panels hanging off everywhere, you are going to need to find the latest technology and even then there will likely be a lot of shade with panels hanging way over the roof and hood nearly like an airplane to get it to where you could drive on the generation. It kind of sounds like the National Lampoon's Vacation Family Truckster, 'If you think it looks bad, just wait until you drive it...'

Delores Said:

If making Aluminum is so dam expensive because of the electricity, why don't they just use solar energy?

We Answered:

Solar energy panels turn sunlight (or other light) into electricity. But the low efficiency of the panels, combined with the high cost to produce them, means that using only solar energy to produce aluminum would be more expensive than using non-solar energy.

When calculating the costs of any energy source, you have to look at not just the fuel inputs, but the cost of the hardware, how long it lasts before needing replacement, overall efficiency, and so on.

Under ideal conditions, at sea level, on a totally clear day, on the equator, at noon, the sunlight hitting the ground amounts to 1000W per square yard. A solar panel, given their average efficiency level, would extract about 120W of electricity. But even under those perfect, ideal conditions, coal-fired steam turbines are still cheaper, overall.