Construction Completed on Tokai University’s Solar Car Equipped with Sharp Solar Cells

Construction has been completed on Tokai University’s solar car equipped with Sharp solar cells boasting the highest level of conversion efficiency in the world.

A team from Tokai University will use this solar car in the Global Green Challenge, one of the world’s largest solar car races, to be held from October 24 to 31, 2009.

The solar car category of the Global Green Challenge has vehicles powered only by the sun’s energy traverse the Australian continent for a distance of about 3,000 km. Tokai University drivers will include Kenjiro Shinozuka, who in 1997 became the first Japanese to achieve overall victory in the Paris to Dakar Rally, as well as Tokai University students and alumni.

The “Tokai Challenger” solar car is equipped with Sharp compound solar cells developed for outer space applications. The cells have an output of 1.8 kW and a cell conversion efficiency of 30%, the highest level in the world.

Sharp is the only manufacturer whose solar cells are approved for use by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Sharp will continue pushing forward with R&D on compound solar cells, in addition to crystalline and thin-film solar cells, which are currently Sharp’s main solar power products.

Source: Sharp