University of Kentucky Solar Car Team

The University of Kentucky Solar Car Team is an independent, student-led project that operates as part of the University of Kentucky College of Engineering

University of Kentucky College of Engineering

The University of Kentucky College of Engineering is an ABET accredited, public engineering school located on the campus of the University of Kentucky...

. In 2008, the Solar Car

Solar car

A solar vehicle is an electric vehicle powered completely or significantly by direct solar energy. Usually, photovoltaic cells contained in solar panels convert the sun's energy directly into electric energy. The term "solar vehicle" usually implies that solar energy is used to power all or part...

Team completed its first North American Solar Challenge

American Solar Challenge

The American Solar Challenge , previously known as Sunrayce, the American Solar Challenge, and the North American Solar Challenge, is a solar car race across the United States and Canada. In the race, teams from colleges and universities throughout North America design, build, test, and race...

, finishing 11th of 15 teams in the 2400 mile race from Plano, TX

Plano, Texas

Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...

, USA to Calgary, AB

Calgary

Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...

, Canada. In 2009, the team placed 2nd (out of 11 teams) in the Formula Sun Grand Prix at the Texas Motorsport Ranch

MotorSport Ranch

MotorSport Ranch is an American reality television series created by Alexander Muse. The show centers around a real-life country club where instead of a golf course or tennis courts, the members have access to two world class road courses...

in Cresson, TX

Cresson, Texas

Cresson is a city in Hood, Johnson, and Parker counties in the U.S. state of Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 377 and State Highway 171, seventeen miles southwest of Fort Worth. The Pate Museum is in Parker County in between the two...

. In 2010, the team placed 9th in the American Solar Challenge, from Broken Arrow, OK

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County but also with a small section of the city in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 US Census, Broken Arrow has a population of 98,850 residents...

to Naperville, IL

Naperville, Illinois

Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...

Mission

To finance, design, build, and race solar-powered

Solar power

Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...

cars while developing team members through practical experience.

Membership

Membership is open to all University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky

The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...

students (Undergraduate and Graduate), professors, and members of the community.

Vision

The Solar Car Team strives to:

Continuously improve the safety, reliability, efficiency, and practicality of its vehicle.
Develop the skills of teamwork, innovation, resourcefulness, communication, and leadership in its team members.
Spread alternative energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

awareness throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

History

The team has built three vehicles since its inception in 1999.

Gato del Sol I - 4-wheels, BP Solar Cells
Solar cell
A solar cell is a solid state electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect....

, 7-layer fiberglass shell.
- ASC 2003: Passed Scrutineering, DNQ for rayce. Sportsmanship Award for loaning motor to CalSol's Solar Bear
- FSGP 2004: Placed 2nd in Stock Class
Gato del Sol II - 3 wheels, 480 Sunpower A-300 cells, fiberglass/foam shell.
- NASC 2005: Passed Scrutineering, DNQ for rayce.
Gato del Sol III - 3 wheels, 480 Sunpower A-300 cells (1200W Peak), fiberglass/foam shell, 27degree seating angle.
- NASC 2008: Passed Scrutineering (6th), Qualified for rayce (5th), Finished rayce (11th). Total time: 100:33:24
- FSGP 2009: Passed Scrutineering (4th), Placed 2nd overall.
Gato del Sol IV - 3 wheels, 2000 Emcore Advanced Triple-Junction Gallium Arsenide cells
- ASC 2010: Passed Scrutineering, Placed 9th overall.
- Earned Adversity Award

Press

External links

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