The electric vehicle market is expected to put a large strain on the existing
electricity grid. Additionally, the majority of grid electricity is produced
from the combustion of fossil fuels, negating the environmental benefits of
electric vehicles. As such, it is necessary to evaluate the “green” options that
will allow electric vehicles to break away from the grid—solar power. Solar
power uses photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity, which can
then go into recharging a car’s battery. Its existing usage has been limited due
to cost and efficiency concerns; however, recent improvements in technology have
made them viable. In particular, new materials have driven the cost down to
$0.30 per Watt. Meanwhile, different thin-cell silicon materials are achieving
efficiencies in excess of 20%. This article evaluates these advances and
analyzes the applicability of solar-power for vehicles. In particular, it
focuses on the direct mounting of photovoltaic cells to vehicles, the
development of solar-power recharging station, and the use of solar-power for
producing hydrogen for fuel cells. This article concludes that solar power has
numerous applications and will play a larger role in vehicle market as these
technologies mature.
