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Nuna 2 is the name of a solar powered vehicle that in 2003 won the World solar challenge in Australia for the second time in a row, after the Nuna 1 victory in 2001. [1] The Nuna solar racers are built by students who are part of the Nuon Solar Team at the Delft University of Technology.
Length: 5 m
Width: 1.8 m
Weight: 300 kg
Top speed: 170 km/h
To reach a speed of 100 km/h requires 1650 W, equivalent to the power used by a hair drier [2]
The body was made from carbon fibre, reinforced with Aramid. [1]
Nuna 2 used three-layered triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells developed by the European Space Agency through its Technology Research Programme. The first spacecraft to use this new type of solar cell was SMART-1 launched September 2003. [3]
The efficiency of the three-layered triple-junction gallium-arsenide solar cells was above 24.5%.
Nuna 2 was fitted with 3000 solar cells mounted on the top and the sides of the car. The solar array was covering a total area of 9 square metres (97 sq ft), which is 1 square metre (11 sq ft) more than on the Nuna 1.
A total of 46 lithium ion (Li-ion) battery cells were connected in series to supply 5 kWh (18 MJ) of electrical energy.
These highly efficient batteries were originally developed for space applications where reliability is essential. The same batteries providing power to Nuna II during cloudy weather are also used by SMART-1 [3]
Nuna 2 won the race in 31.05 hours averaging a speed of 97.02 km/h for the 3021 km course breaking the course record of the previous Nuna 1 solar racer.
Gallium arsenide (GaAs) is a III-V direct band gap semiconductor with a zinc blende crystal structure.
The World Solar Challenge (WSC), since 2013 named Bridgestone World Solar Challenge, is an international event for solar powered cars driving 3000 kilometres through the Australian outback.
Indium gallium phosphide (InGaP), also called gallium indium phosphide (GaInP), is a semiconductor composed of indium, gallium and phosphorus. It is used in high-power and high-frequency electronics because of its superior electron velocity with respect to the more common semiconductors silicon and gallium arsenide.
Nuna is the name of a series of manned solar powered race cars that have won the World Solar Challenge in Australia seven times: in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The vehicles are built by students who are part of the "Vattenfall Solar Team" at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, sponsored by Vattenfall.
A solar cell, or photovoltaic cell, is an electrical device that converts the energy of light directly into electricity by the photovoltaic effect, which is a physical and chemical phenomenon. It is a form of photoelectric cell, defined as a device whose electrical characteristics, such as current, voltage, or resistance, vary when exposed to light. Individual solar cell devices are often the electrical building blocks of photovoltaic modules, known colloquially as solar panels. The common single junction silicon solar cell can produce a maximum open-circuit voltage of approximately 0.5 volts to 0.6 volts.
The University of Calgary Solar Car Team is a multi-disciplinary student-run solar car racing ("raycing") team at the University of Calgary, based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It was established to design and build a solar car to compete internationally in the American Solar Challenge (ASC) and the World Solar Challenge (WSC). The team is primarily composed of undergraduate students studying Engineering, Business, Science, Arts and Kinesiology. The mission of the University of Calgary Solar Car Team is to educate the community about sustainable energy and to serve as an interdisciplinary project through which students and faculty from various departments can collaborate in supporting sustainable energy.
Aluminium gallium indium phosphide is a semiconductor material that provides a platform for the development of novel multi-junction photovoltaics and optoelectronic devices, as it spans a direct bandgap from deep ultraviolet to infrared.
Spacecraft operating in the inner Solar System usually rely on the use of photovoltaic solar panels to derive electricity from sunlight. Outside the orbit of Jupiter, solar radiation is too weak to produce sufficient power within current solar technology and spacecraft mass limitations, so radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) are instead used as a power source.
The Nuna 3 is a solar car developed by Nuon Solar Team form the Delft University of Technology in 2004-2005 for the 2005 World Solar Challenge.
Third-generation photovoltaic cells are solar cells that are potentially able to overcome the Shockley–Queisser limit of 31–41% power efficiency for single bandgap solar cells. This includes a range of alternatives to cells made of semiconducting p-n junctions and thin film cells. Common third-generation systems include multi-layer ("tandem") cells made of amorphous silicon or gallium arsenide, while more theoretical developments include frequency conversion,, hot-carrier effects and other multiple-carrier ejection techniques.
Spectrolab is a manufacturer of space solar cells and panels headquartered in Sylmar, California. It is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, and part of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. Spectrolab was founded in 1956 by Alfred E. Mann, a billionaire American entrepreneur and philanthropist. Spectrolab was originally a division of Textron. Spectrolab was acquired by Hughes Aircraft Company in 1975 and became a subsidiary of Hughes until its sale to Boeing in 2000.
A solar car is a solar vehicle for use on public roads or race tracks. Solar vehicles are electric vehicles that use self contained solar cells to power themselves from sunlight. Solar vehicles typically contain a rechargeable battery to help regulate and store the energy from the solar cells and capture kinetic energy from the vehicle during braking. Some solar cars can be plugged into external power sources to supplement the power of sunlight used to charge their battery.
Multi-junction (MJ) solar cells are solar cells with multiple p–n junctions made of different semiconductor materials. Each material's p-n junction will produce electric current in response to different wavelengths of light. The use of multiple semiconducting materials allows the absorbance of a broader range of wavelengths, improving the cell's sunlight to electrical energy conversion efficiency.
Nuna 1 was a car powered by solar power, developed by students from the Delft University of Technology.
The Nuna 5 is the 2009 model of the Nuna series solar-powered racing car built by the Dutch Nuon Solar Team.
Intelsat 5 was a satellite providing television and communication services for Intelsat, which it was commissioned by in 2006.
Indium gallium arsenide phosphide is a quaternary compound semiconductor material, an alloy of gallium arsenide, gallium phosphide, indium arsenide, or indium phosphide. This compound has applications in photonic devices, due to the ability to tailor its band gap via changes in the alloy mole ratios, x and y.
The PowerCore SunCruiser is a solar-powered road vehicle. It was created at the Bochum University of Applied Sciences to compete at the World Solar Challenge in 2013. The PowerCore SunCruiser is the fifth vehicle built by the University of Bochum and categorized as an EC vehicle class L7e, which includes full road approval. The car was presented to the public on 25 July 2013. It offers space for three persons, can reach a top speed of over 100 km/h, and is driven by two wheel-hub motors in the back wheels. Its maximum power is 8.5 kW. The vehicle's empty weight is around 340 kg, of which the batteries take around 63 kg.
Intelsat 6B was a satellite providing television and communication services for Intelsat, which it was commissioned by in 2006.
The Odysseus is a solar, High-Altitude Long Endurance drone developed by Aurora Flight Sciences and planned to fly in April 2019.