Award-winning excellence, powered by the sun
[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Solar_Car_gala2.jpg” caption=”Pictured at the awards banquet, team members pictured left to right, are Avery Yuen, engineering manager, Scott Cameron, structural manager, Karleen Dudeck, team advancement and Tammy Hwang, business manager.”]The Yves Landry Foundation has recognized the McMaster Solar Car Project (MSCP) for its recent successes in technological innovation and excellence.
Composed of more than 180 McMaster students, MSCP, which designs, builds and races solar cars in international competitions, was awarded the “Progress Towards Sustainable Development” award at the college or university level. The academic award of $5,000 is sponsored by Shell Canada, and was received by select team members at the Yves Landry Foundation's recent fifth annual STARS Technological Education Awards Gala.
“It is our duty to use our skills and knowledge to help ensure a sustainable environment,” says Avery Yuen, MSCP engineering manager, who was on hand to accept the award, “as well as share our passion for the underlying technology and encourage the public to do likewise.”
Founded in 1997, the MSCP is a non-profit organization that has successfully built two solar cars, Fireball and Fireball II and is currently designing and building a third solar car, Phoenix. MSCP plans to race Phoenix in the Formula Sun Grand Prix - a closed circuit solar car race in Topeka, Kansas, and ultimately in the bi-annual North American Solar Challenge, which next runs in 2005. This race involves more than 30 teams and challenges students to design and build a solar powered vehicle that can drive at highway speeds from Houston to Calgary.
Last summer, the team demonstrated their success with Fireball II, achieving the top Canadian rank and placing fifth overall during the Formula Sun Grand Prix. Fireball II also competed in the American Solar Challenge in 2003, modeling high efficiency solar cells to collect power from the sun, premium power point trackers to maximize the power generated by the car's solar array, rechargeable Lithium-ion batteries that are charged by the array, and a more efficient aerodynamic shape over the original Fireball.
Phoenix will incorporate many improvements over Fireball II, including more efficient solar cells, an aluminum space-frame for increased structural stability, and a top speed of over 100km/h. The vehicle will feature over 400 Sunpower A-300 cells that will cover the surface of the car, resulting in a power output of 1000 Watts in full sunlight, and the high efficiency motor will enable the car to attain highway speeds while using the equivalent electrical power of a toaster. The motor also contains regenerative braking, which will allow the frictional energy from the brakes to be transferred into electrical energy for the car instead of being dissipated as heat.
The team's success will be augmented by the car's telemetry system, which will send important information about the car's speed, battery temperature, and power drain to a support team to improve racing strategies.
In addition to its racing aspirations, the MSCP also has an active education program and attends community and on-campus events to promote renewable energy and encourage the public to think about environmental issues and energy efficiency. The range of people reached is comprehensive from preschool children to senior citizens. Since its inception, the MSCP has trained hundreds of team members in the fields of mechanical, electrical, systems and materials engineering.
“This team is a great chance to apply some of what I've learned at school to real world design problems,” said Darryl Wallace, a senior team member. “Not only that, but I have also gained a lot of experience that can't be taught in the classroom.”
