Nuna 2
Encyclopedia
Nuna 2 is the name of a solar powered vehicles that in 2003 won the World solar challenge
in Australia
for the second time in a row, after the Nuna 1
victory in 2001.
The Nuna
solar racers are built by students who are part of the Nuon Solar Team at the Delft University of Technology
.
Width: 1.8 m
Weight: 240 kg
Top speed: 170 km/h
To reach a speed of 100 km/h requires 1650 W, equivalent to the power used by a hair drier
through its Technology Research Programme. The first spacecraft to use this new type of solar cell was SMART-1
launched September 2003.
The efficiency of the three-layered triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells was above 24.5 %.
Nuna 2 was fitted with 3000 solar cells mounted on the top and the sides of the car. The solar array was covering a total area of 9 square metres (10.8 sq yd), which is 1 square metres (1.2 sq yd) more than on the Nuna 1
.
These highly efficient batteries were originally developed for space applications where reliability is essential. These same batteries providing power to Nuna II during cloudy weather are also used by SMART-1
World Solar Challenge
The World Solar Challenge is a solar-powered car race which covers through the Australian Outback, from Darwin to Adelaide.The race attracts teams from around the world, most of which are fielded by universities or corporations although some are fielded by high schools...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the second time in a row, after the Nuna 1
Nuna 1
Nuna 1 was a car powered by solar-power, developed by students from the Delft University of Technology.The first Nuna Team was founded in 2000 by Ramon Martinez and Tim de Lange. The project was sponsored by Nuon. Thanks to this financial help the team was able to finish their first car: Nuna 1...
victory in 2001.
The Nuna
Nuna
Nuna is the name of a series of manned solar powered vehicles that won the World solar challenge in Australia four times in a row, in 2001 , 2003 , 2005 and 2007...
solar racers are built by students who are part of the Nuon Solar Team at the Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology
Delft University of Technology , also known as TU Delft, is the largest and oldest Dutch public technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands...
.
Facts about Nuna 2
Length: 5 mWidth: 1.8 m
Weight: 240 kg
Top speed: 170 km/h
To reach a speed of 100 km/h requires 1650 W, equivalent to the power used by a hair drier
Solar cells
Nuna 2 used three-layered triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells developed by the European Space AgencyEuropean Space Agency
The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 18 member states...
through its Technology Research Programme. The first spacecraft to use this new type of solar cell was SMART-1
SMART-1
SMART-1 was a Swedish-designed European Space Agency satellite that orbited around the Moon. It was launched on September 27, 2003 at 23:14 UTC from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. "SMART" stands for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology...
launched September 2003.
The efficiency of the three-layered triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells was above 24.5 %.
Nuna 2 was fitted with 3000 solar cells mounted on the top and the sides of the car. The solar array was covering a total area of 9 square metres (10.8 sq yd), which is 1 square metres (1.2 sq yd) more than on the Nuna 1
Nuna 1
Nuna 1 was a car powered by solar-power, developed by students from the Delft University of Technology.The first Nuna Team was founded in 2000 by Ramon Martinez and Tim de Lange. The project was sponsored by Nuon. Thanks to this financial help the team was able to finish their first car: Nuna 1...
.
Batteries
A total of 46 lithium ion (Li-ion) battery cells were connected in series to supply 5 kW·h (18,000,000 J) of electrical energy.These highly efficient batteries were originally developed for space applications where reliability is essential. These same batteries providing power to Nuna II during cloudy weather are also used by SMART-1
