Solar Power
With everyone looking for ways in which they can power cars in other methods that fossil fuels, one of the brightest ideas out there is to use solar power. Solar power can be harnessed through the use of solar panels that can absorb the energy that the sun is putting off and then harnessing this in a usable form of energy to get the car moving. This is not a fairly new concept as it has been tested for years, however, it just not a mainstream way to power your car as of yet. So why isn't solar powered cars becoming mainstream?
The first obstacle in the way is that solar panels are expensive. Some solar panels can cost as much as $400 for one panel. In order for most cars to work, they are going to need more than one panel. The reason for the high cost of solar panels deals with just how fast the panel can absorb the rays of the sun in order to turn the energy into power. And since there is only a set amount of sun that everyone receives during the day, the faster that the panel absorbs the sun's energy, the better. There has been success in using solar panel cars, however, the main point that most people make is that the solar panels cover the entire body of the car, which gives it enough energy to go over sixty miles per hour. But, when considering the cost of solar panels and how much it would take to make sure that the car is covered, you are looking at thousands of dollars on top of the high cost of the car itself.
What are the benefits of using solar energy in order to power a car? For starters, the sun is free, which means that the high cost of gasoline would be a thing of the past. Secondly, the sun is renewable. There is no way in which people can begin using solar energy and completely deplete it since the power is coming from the sun. Plus, the panels will allow no sound to pollute the environment since they are pretty much silent. But, with all the benefits, there is a huge downside to using solar energy to power cars, and this could be why solar energy is still not viewed as a way in which you could successfully power a car. During cloudy days and at night, there is no sun, thus there is no energy to power cars. And with the way that people drive, this is just not realistic. This is going to be a huge obstacle that is going to have to be overcome in order for solar energy to be used successfully in cars.
Today, solar energy is being used in some cars that are still relying on gasoline in order to power them. However, the solar energy is being used in order to get the car an extra few miles to running. In the future, we will definitely being seeing more of solar energy powering cars.