Solar Power Cars

In the 1990’s, emissions laws were being enforced throughout the United States. Many colleges and universities began looking at the possibility of solar powered cars. The finding were that the solar collectors for the cars to run were too large to be put into the vehicles. Development continues on the solar collections to make it possible. For those skeptical, don’t be surprised if it doesn’t all come together in the near future. There are many organizations throughout the world working on doing just that.

Students are aware that using fossil fuels for cars has a negative impact on the environment. Students investigate the amount of pollution a car creates. Students have the opportunity to work together with their research and other students to investigate how to use solar energy for cars. They research the challenges involved and work to find solutions.

For the past 20 years, Panasonic has offered the Panasonic World Solar Challenge. More than three hundred teams from around the world have brought their car to the event. Many find developing solar powered cars to be the challenge of a lifetime. They continue to find ways to get one step closer to being successful. The next Panasonic event takes place in October of 2007.

The Winston Solar Car Team began an education program in 1993. They provide learning materials, on-site visits, and workshops for high schools across the country. The program is designed to motivate students in the areas of science, engineering, and technology. The program consists of a two year education program. At the end of the program students have the opportunity to display their work.

The first Winston Solar Car Challenge took place in 1995. Ninety schools participated in the program with nine schools building cars to race. The 1997 challenge involved three hundred and fifty schools in five countries. Eight cars qualified to run in a six hundred mile race from Dallas, Texas to San Antonio, Texas. As the participants continue to grow, so does the challenge. The 1999 race was a sixteen hundred mile race. In 2002 Dell Computers became a sponsor of the event.

Solar powered cars still have many bugs to work out including how to keep them operating on a daily basis, day or night. New designs continue to emerge, and the challenge of solving this mystery continues to grow around the world. Regardless of who successfully completes the concept of solar powered cars, it will offer a safe alternative to using fossil fuels, and that will be a benefit to each of us.

Solar Power

All of our energy comes from the sun. Solar powered lights offer a low cost and do not pollute the environment. Such lights are very popular for garden use and landscaping. They are hassle free. There are no cables to worry about or the possibility of being electrocuted.

Are solar powered lights right for your home? These lights produce an intense glow and shadowing around the surrounding areas. Solar powered lights are perfect for those applications where a regular power source is unavailable. The solar panel collects sunlight and converts electricity. The electricity is stored in rechargeable batteries. The lights will be strongest during the first few hours of operation and then slowly diminish in output.

There are many styles and brands of solar powered lights to choose from. They are inexpensive. They are designed to accent your home. Many choose this option because it is much cheaper that installing electricity to another area as well as the environmental impact. Most individuals can install solar powered lights easily by themselves. This again saves money over having a professional come to set up for electricity. The internet offers many reviews on brands of solar powered lights. It is a great resource for comparing cost and effectiveness of the products available.

Several towns have taken to installing solar powered lights as street lights. They are able to store up energy from the sun during the day and operate on that energy until early morning. The Solar Outdoor Lighting company donated and installed such lighting at the Ocala National Forest. Miami International Airport installed solar powered lights to offer additional security for their employees. They chose them for their low cost, environmental friendliness, the fact that they took a fifth of the time to install as regular lighting fixtures, and that they are going to be undergoing construction soon. The solar powered lights can be moved easily.

The biggest disadvantage of the solar powered lights is that they do require an adequate amount to sunlight to create the energy. If you have several days of cloudy weather, the lights may not operate effectively. This has affected the decision of some businesses. They feel if it is important enough to install lighting, then it needs to be reliable and available on a regular basis.

PLTMH Desa Seloliman

Seperti biasa, main ke Desa Seloliman, Kecamatan Trawas, Kabupaten Mojokerto Propinsi Jawa Timur untuk melihat kondisi PLTMH yang ada di Desa Seloliman. PLTMH Seloliman memiliki sejarah panjang, pembangunan dimulai pada tahun 1994. Pembangunan PLTMH Seloliman merupakan inisiatif masyarakat Dusun Janjing yang merupakan baigan dari Desa Seloliman. Di Desa Seloliman terdapat 4 (empat) buah dusun, yaitu Dusun Janjing, Dusun Biting, Dusun Balekambang dan Dusun Sempur.

Sejarahnya, pada tahun 1994 Desa Seloliman mulai mendapat pasokan listrik dari PLN. Tetapi sayangnya, PLN hanya mampu memasok listrik untuk 3 (tiga) dusun, yaitu Dusun Balekambang, Biting dan Sempur (walau untuk Dusun Sempur hanya sebagian saja). Dengan berbagai alasan, PLN tidak mau memasok listrik ke Dusun Janjing. Dengan situasi ini, masyarakat Dusun Janjing merasa dianaktirikan, belum lagi ejekan yang mereka terima dari warga dusun yang lain. Warga Dusun Janjing merasa terabaikan, tetapi hal ini tidak menyurutkan semangat mereka untuk memperoleh listrik untuk penerangan.

Dengan berbagai cara ahirnya mereka mendapat informasi tentang adanya Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikrohidro (PLTMH) yang menggunakan air sebagai pembangkit listrik. Dengan bantuan dari teman-teman PPLH dan Yayasan Mandiri, Bandung serta GTZ, maka dilakukan seluruh persiapan untuk membangun sebuah PLTMH untuk menerangi Dusun Janjing. Dengan semangat gotong royong, mayarakat Janjing membantu pelaksanaan pembangunan PLTMH dengan seluruh kemampuan mereka, sehingga akhirnya pada tahun 1994 masyarakat Dusun Janjing dapat menikmati aliran listrik seperti dusun-dusun lainnya.

Mojokerto

Sekarang saya main ke Mojokerto, tepatnya Desa Seloliman. Desa Seloliman berada di Kecamatan Trawas Kabupaten Mojokerto Propinsi Jawa Timur. Ke Seloliman dalam rangka kegiatan liat-liat kondisi masyarakat yang menggunakan listrik dari Pembangkit Listrik Tenaga Mikrohidro (PLTMH).

Perjalanan menggunakan mobil sehingga waktu tempuh lumayan lama dan melelahkan. Kami (7 orang) menempuh jalan darat dengan mobil (he he he pinggang lumayan panas) melalui jalur selatan pulau Jawa, jarak tempuh sekitar 650 km (Kami berangkat dari Bandung, Jawa Barat)

Sampai di lokasi, Desa Seloliman, kami bertemu dengan rekan pengurus Pusat Pelatihan Lingkungan Hidup (PPLH). Kami diterima dengan ramah oleh para pengurus, yang waktu itu kebetulan mereka sedang santap siang. Kami bertemu dengan Pak Toko, beliau adalah Direktur PPLH dan Ibu Jayanti (Humas).

Setelah berbincang-bincang mengenai maksud dan tujuan kedatangan kami, kemudian kami makan siang dan beristirahat di PPLH. Ternyata PPLH juga memiliki fasilitas penginapan yang lumayan unik untuk beristirahat. Kami telah sepakat untuk membahas beberapa hal setelah makan malam. Rencananya kami akan bertemu lagi jam 19.00 untuk membahas hal-hal yang berhubungan dengan masalah PLTMH yang ada di Desa Seloliman, mengenai pengurus PLTMH, kondisi PLTMH serta konsumen dan beberapa hal yang berhubungan dengan pemanfaatan energi baru terbarukan (renewable energy) untuk usaha produktif (productive end use).