Our students are being disruptive!
Tony Seba explains on video why PV, lithium batteries, and electric vehicles are changing everything - and quickly.
Tony Seba, author and Stanford lecturer, explains why today's students need to learn as much as they can about solar, lithium batteries and electric vehicle technology. Fundamental changes are underway which will affect their personal lives, their professions and their planet.
When life gives you 24 Hours of Lemons...
Racing is not just about number-crunching engineering. It's about creativity and testing what can and cannot be done in the real world.
The spirit of racing. Racers learn what works on the racetrack - by trying what might or might not work on the racetrack. This philosophy will sound familiar to all graduates of the Solar Rollers program.
California here we come
Solar Rollers will be running a special exhibit racetrack at the Intersolar conference and meeting with sponsors and supporters in the bay area.
The Intersolar expo, America's most attended solar event, is bringing Solar Rollers to the Moscone Center in San Francisco from July 14-16. Intersolar is helping Solar Rollers gain the support of the the solar industry in order to scale up the program to the national level. A full active racetrack on the tradeshow floor will allow solar professionals to experience the speed, the fun, and the ingenuity of the program.
COLORADO SOLAR ROLLERS TROPHY RACE RESULTS - 2015
Colorado teams came together for trophy racing twice this year. Their cars are improving in speed, power and durability, with top speed records falling. Thankfully their driving skills are also improving and the on-track racing is also reaching new heights.
Colorado students competing in the Solar Rollers energy education program came to race in Carbondale on May 16, but most events were rained out on that wintry day. The teams more than made up for it by running a second competition this Saturday, May 30, at Bighorn Toyota in Glenwood Springs under crystal clear skies. The cars were very quick under intense sun and two of them even lifted off the ground during top speed runs, doing hydroplane-style backflips at top speed.
The Solar Rollers program works with high school teams to design, build and race sophisticated solar-powered remote control cars. Students gain practical experience with solar circuits, lithium batteries, carbon fiber, brushless electric motors, programmable controllers and constant hands-on mechanical work.
The Trophy Race at the end of the year brings area Solar Rollers teams together in friendly competition, where they help one another with technical issues and celebrate their remarkable accomplishments - while engaging in plenty of spirited wheel-to-wheel racing on the track.
Area schools that participated in Solar Rollers this year include Aspen, Basalt, Battle Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Grand Valley, Roaring Fork, Summit and Yampah Mountain High Schools – some schools fielded multiple teams. The Solar Rollers program could not happen without the dedication of the teachers, team leaders and students who find the time, space, tools, funding and perseverance to complete this very challenging project.
Solar Rollers is a program of Carbondale-based Energetics Education. It is designed to scale nationally and is currently expanding to Austin and Reno.
Energetics Education is very grateful to its generous supporters:
Funding:
The SunPower Foundation
Aspen Skico Environment Foundation
The Palmer Foundation
Aspen Thrift Shop
Holy Cross Energy
CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency)
Umbrella Roofing
Equipment:
SunPower Corporation
Castle Creations
Unirac
Tencate Composites
Oribi Manufacturing
Facilities and event support:
Roaring Fork High School
Bighorn Toyota
Crystal River Meats
KDNK Radio
Solar Energy International
Town of Carbondale Police (Radar trailer loan)
Event volunteers:
Danika Davis
David Sellmeyer
Gretchen Brogden
Betsy McMichael
Maciej Mrotek
Susy Ellison
Patrick Hunter
Josh Kinzer
Steve Skinner
Award Presentation:
Paul Spencer
20 Questions Judges:
Jon Fox-Rubin
Shelley Kaup
Kelly Carlin
Solar Rollers Trophy Race on May 30
The public is invited to Roaring Fork High School to watch the racing and learn a thing or two about energy from 10 am - 3 pm. The Main Circuit Race starts at solar noon - 1:05 PM Colorado time. Booths/displays from Aspen Science Center, Solar Energy International and Rifle Remote Control park.
12 Colorado High School teams will compete with their custom designed, hand-built solar-powered remote control cars at Bighorn Toyota in Glenwood Springs, CO on May 30. This is a rescheduled event after a rainout on May 16,
The event is free and open to spectators from 10am - 3pm.
The 60-minute main circuit race starts at solar noon: 1:05 pm.
Teams compete in five separate disciplines:
20 Questions - An academic quiz in front of a panel of energy and engineering experts. Questions are selected randomly from 20 tough predistributed questions.
All Out Top Speed - Fastest run as measured by radar with a race-spec lithium ion battery on board.
PV Direct Top Speed - Fastest run as measured by radar with no battery - sunlight only.
PV Direct Circuit Race - A 3-lap race using only the power of the sun, no battery.
Main Circuit Race (1:05 pm) - After a 30-minute solar precharging period, cars race for 60 minutes on the winding course. Most teams will need to make hurried repairs in the pits over the course of this race.
AWARDS - Paul Spencer, President and Founder of Clean Energy Collective and innovator of the community solar model.
20 QUESTIONS PANEL JUDGES -
Jon Fox-Rubin of Energetics Education and The Manaus Fund
Shelley Kaup of Clean Energy Economy for the Region
Kelly Carlin of Rocky Mountain Institute
Going Electric in a '68 Mustang to Feel 17 Again
What could cause a lifelong musclecar tinkerer to obsessively experiment with electric motors, controllers, chargers and batteries? 1500 horsepower, that's what.
This compelling video shows a forward-thinking musclecar enthusiast going electric - and going fast.