2. NSIT Solar Car Concept is a non-profit organization,
founded in 2007, which aims to build a solar powered
race car and represent INDIA on an international
platform. It is a student run initiative and the primary goal
is to make solar power practical and affordable. The
team is dedicated to build a car that demonstrates the
viability of alternate sources of energy and innovation in
mechanical and electrical technology.
The team is currently working on its third car. It is one of
the only two university level teams in India that build
Solar Electric Vehicles (SEVs) and the only one that has
secured a podium position at an international event.
3. The American Solar Challenge (ASC), 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 solar-powered vehicles in a long distance road rally-
style event. ASC is a test of teamwork, engineering skill, and
endurance that stretches across thousands of miles of public
roads.
The 2014 edition will have a FSGP closed circuit 3-day event
and then a cross country 8-10 day race that will test the
endurance and engineering of the cars and their internal
systems.
4. Provide an international platform to represent our
country and institute with pride.
To make an advanced solar electric vehicle.
To research about solar power and technologies and to
make it more efficient so that it can turn into a
sustainable energy source.
Promoting innovative, environmentally friendly
technology as well as creating a positive learning
atmosphere for student body involvement
General public awareness about the green technologies
available to the world, so that young people they grow to
be environmentally friendly.
5. ADVAY 1 was one of the cheapest solar cars in the world and
cost a fraction of the other cars participating in the South
African Solar Challenge 2009
It secured 2nd position in its category and stood 3rd in the
overall rankings in SASC 2009.
The car was showcased at multiple exhibitions across the
country.
ADVAY 2 was the second solar car of the team. It was
designed and built for the World Solar Challenge.
It was showcased at the National Auto Expo 2010, New Delhi
and remains one of the only few student projects to be
showcased at the grand event.
6.
7.
8. The team aims to make their third vehicle for the WORLD
SOLAR CHALLENGE and the AMERICAN SOLAR
CHALLENGE
It will be representing INDIA and will showcase our
engineering excellence and the effort to work with non-
conventional sources of energy.
Preliminary designs(subject to massive change) are shown
in the next two slides.
9.
10.
11. Research opportunities in the field of solar energy.
Innovation in the electrical and mechanical systems.
First hand experience of building a solar car and
being a part of a legacy.
12. Low Energy Density
On a clear day, energy from sunlight comes to Earth at a density of about 1,000
watts per square meter of area . This means if you had a one square meter
solar panel that worked at 100 percent efficiency, you could run a hair dryer with
it. The engine in a typical car develops about 50 kilowatts of energy. Your perfect
solar panel would have to measure approximately 90 square meter to produce
this much power. We have only about 6 square meters to tackle the same
problem.
Low Efficiency
Commercially-available solar cells that produce electricity from light do not have
100 percent efficiency, but instead top out at around 18 percent. To compensate
for the reduction in energy due to low efficiency, you'd have to make your solar
panel bigger.
A Gallium Arsenic cell has a 30% efficiency but the costs are too high for us to
consider it as an alternative.
All this leads to the cars having High Costs and an Impractical Design
And herein lie the research opportunities.
13. Nanowire Solar Cells
Practically, the efficiency of solar cells has to be increased and simultaneously the costs have to be reduced.
Nanowires are a promising material system to realize this. Due to the small size of nanowires, different materials
can be more easily combined compared to bulk systems, and more sophisticated tandem cells could be
fabricated. In addition, light can be more efficiently absorbed by using conical nanowire shapes, and in radial
nanowire geometries the optical absorption path length can be disentangled from the charge separation distance
allowing more design freedom. This all may enhance the efficiency of solar cells.
SPECTRAL CONVERTERS
Lanthanide Ions, Quantum Dots and many luminescent solar concentrators are used as spectral converters.
a) Quantum Dots to Enhance Solar Spectrum Conversion Efficiencies for PV Cells Silicon-based photovoltaics
typically convert less than 30% of the solar spectrum into usable electric power. This study explores the utilization
of CdSe based quantum dots as spectral converters that absorb the under utilized UV portion of the solar
spectrum and fluoresce at wavelengths near the band-gap of silicon-based solar cells. A flexible 1 mm thick thin-
film structure that contains an array of microfluidic channels is designed and fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane
(PDMS) using soft-lithographic technique
RESEARCH IN POLYMER SOLAR CELLS
A polymer solar cell is a type of flexible solar cell made with polymers, large molecules with repeating structural
units, that produce electricity fromsunlight by the photovoltaic effect. Polymer solar cells include organic solar
cells (also called "plastic solar cells"). They are one type of thin film solar cell, others include the currently more
stable amorphous silicon solar cell.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
By Electronics & Electrical Department
NSIT SOLAR CAR TEAM
21. Transmission of Instrumentation- Data
Solar Panel Array transfer: speed, rpm,
power to wheels etc.
DC-DC Converter, Instrumentation : battery charging
Motor and output current/voltage status
MPPT
Battery Managment Electrical System
System and batteries Motor Controller
protection
22. Solar cars utilize sun’s energy. Solar array, a
combination of solar cells, collects sun’s energy and
converts it into usable electrical energy.
This usable electrical energy is stored in batteries via
maximum point power trackers that convert the energy
collected to system voltage.
Once batteries are charged, motors can be run and
controlled by the use of a motor controller that adjusts
the amount of energy flowing to the motor according to
the throttle.
23.
24. A solar car majorly comprises of the following electronic and
electronic components:
Solar Panels/Solar Cell Arrays
Maximum Power Point Trackers (MPPT)
Battery and Battery Management Systems
Motor and Electronic Motor Controller
Instrumentation & Telemetry components
General Electrical and safety components like fuses,
MCBs, switches, etc.
25. A photovoltaic array or solar array is a linked connection of solar
panels which in turn is formed by joining solar cells. Solar array is
mounted on upper part of chassis of the solar car which converts the
incoming solar energy into electrical energy.
The number of cells to use depends on the size and allowable solar
area as per rules of a particular competition.
26. Solar array voltage (i.e. voltage produced by the solar array) must be equal to
system voltage of the motor for optimal working of motor. Generally, it is difficult to
match these voltages accurately due to random errors and Maximum Power
Point Trackers come to rescue. MPPTs allow the system to run as efficiently as
possible by sampling the output of the cells and apply the proper resistance (load)
to obtain maximum power for any given environmental conditions. Basically, they
extract the maximum possible power from solar array.
The circuit
diagram for
a MPPT
27. The batteries store energy from the solar array and make them available for the
motor’s use. While choosing the batteries, we need to consider the following points:
System voltage required
Maximum permissible ampere-hour rating
Time taken to charge the batteries
Weight and Size
Cost
Batteries that are commonly used in solar cars are Lead-acid batteries, Li-ion
batteries, Ni-MH batteries, Ni-Cd batteries, Flooded-cell batteries and Gel-cell
batteries.
Lead Acid Ni-Cd Battery Li-Ion Battery
NiMH battery
28. Motors, powered by batteries, run the solar car. Motors
generally employed in solar cars are either AC motors or
brushless DC motors. We intend to use brushless DC motors
because of its following advantages:
DC motors can be overdriven for short periods of time which
is great for short burst accelerations.
DC motors can assimilate the ‘Regen’ feature of AC motors so
that charging is possible during breaking mode of operation of
motor.
Efficiency of brushless DC motors is 95-98%.
DC motors are cheaper than AC motors.
Controller is an electronic device that controls the amount of
power delivered to electric motor according to the signal from the
potentiometer connected to throttle pedal.
29. One of the most important pieces of instrumentation is a state-of-
charge meter. A state-of-charge meter gives information about system
voltage, amp draw, battery energy remaining, and estimates the how
much time remains until the battery is out of energy.
The E-Meter is the do-it-all in instrumentation. Another instrument that
may be useful is a speedometer. Instead of using a regular
speedometer drive, use magnetic contact speedometers, found in many
sports equipment stores. This option does not add drag to the solar car.
To ensure that batteries are running properly, a voltmeter is connected
to each of the batteries. A failed battery may show the proper voltage
when the car is not running, but while the battery is under load, the
voltmeter will show a lower than normal battery voltage.
Nowadays, advanced controllers are available that not only can control
the power delivered to the electric motor but display the number of
ampere-hours left in the battery, voltage of the battery, speed of the
electric motor and telemetry to the driver as well, thus reducing off-road
time in analysis.
30. The Telemetry system includes all the communication
and feedback mechanisms that are employed in the car
for better functionality and for the ease of the driver and
the crew to monitor the efficient and safe working of the
solar car.
These include:
Wireless Communication System
Solar Charge controller
Headlights & Tail lamps
GPS System
31. Fuses
(over current) In series with circuit
Diodes
(reverse current) In series with circuit
Metal Oxide Varistors
- MOV In parallel with circuit
(over voltage)
32. The concept will first be visualized by making their 3D CAD
drawings in the following 3D modelling softwares:
Unigraphics NX Solidworks
33. After succesful 3D modelling of the concept car the model
is simulated using analysis softwares to check its
feasibility and stability. Following softwares are used for
simulation:
ANSYS SHARK
34. First of all a 3D model of the concept will be modeled in
NX.
After successful drawing of the car the 3D file will be
exported to Ansys for analysis part. Meanwhile
Suspension simulation will be carried out in Shark FX.
If found troublefree the model will be finalized and the
Manufacturing of the concept will begin, otherwise the
3D drawing is modified as per the needs.
35.
(Separate Presentation)- Disjointed with the main presentation
