Solar Sunroof Recharges Car Battery and Provides Temperature Control
Sunroofs are no longer just an easy route to windblown hair and a sunburn with Sunrise Solar’s introduction of the solar sunroof. The technology replaces the traditional glass sunroof with solar technology that generates electricity to recharge a car’s batteries while either cooling or warming the parked car depending on the weather.
Of course, a solar-powered sun roof does not provide nearly enough energy to power an entire car. It might be enough to keep some ventilation fans blowing, but it couldn’t fully recharge a car’s battery during a single day.
Unfortunately, Sunrise Solar’s website provides scant detail about the inner workings of the solar sunroof. The site does, however, give a brief introduction to the company’s other products, which include a solar-powered cell phone charger and a solar light brick.
Asola is also working on a solar sunroof for Fisker Automotive’s Karma, a plug-in hybrid due to be released late next year.
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Sounds like the Aptera
Neah, not yet. These things need to be much more efficient before mainstream. But they will be. Soon.
Audi has been doing this for years. This is not *new*.
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Not that new.
Audi has been offering this on A6/A8 models for years - although so they have used this just to power fans to ventilate the car and prevent it from becoming blazingly hot in the sun. It still saves energy though as the AC does not have to run at full power for extended periods of time to cool down the overheated car.
Nice to see this being picked up.
Ventilation fans, and even small high efficiency a/c units can be run on a small solar array.
I tried to market this idea in 1978 (yes, 30 years ago) when I was working for Bell Aerospace. Even back then A/C units were available that could run on solar panels of the size described here, and the panels weren’t nearly as efficient as those found today.
I guess oil was just too cheap back then to interest anyone in the idea.
One would think with all the nanotechnology around these days that they could put solar panels in the windows too!
PRetty good idea. Seems like a good use of the otherwise “blank” space.
WM
http://www.FireMe.To/udi
Again Audi has been doing this on select models since 1999. As it happens I own one. And on very hot days the system is MUCH appreciated. Just another example of how far behind the U.S. In solar technology.
Solar Sunroof Recharges Car Battery and Temperature Control | nerdd.net…
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