In-car solar panels move a step closer

Commercial cars fuelled partly by solar power could be a reality sooner than we think, thanks to two significant developments in the solar power market.

Fuel and automotive specialist Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide last week announced it has acquired a 25 per cent stake in German solar energy firm ASOLA Advanced and Automotive Solar Systems GmbH.

The deal gives Quantum access to a long-term supply contract that ASOLA signed with Ersol Energy AG, guaranteeing the supply of 155 MW in solar cells, starting this year.

The agreement makes sense for Quantum, which according to president and CEO Alan P. Niedzwiecki is trying to increase its focus on green technologies in the automotive market. Quantum stated that it will work with ASOLA to use the Ersol cells for commercial, residential, and automotive applications on both sides of the Atlantic.

Details on exactly what form this development will take are not yet clear, but Wyoming-based technology firm Brunton was more explicit about its plans for solar cells in cars.

Director of new product development Mike Lilygren explained that this Friday, the company will ship its 52-watt Solaris solar cell for use on cars.

The $880 thin film unit comes in a laptop-sized format, unfolding to cover a 3 x 4 foot area. Originally aimed at travellers on expeditions, it has been redesigned for the consumer market and will sit atop a car left out in the sun, he explained.

Lilygren added that the panel is not designed to be used while the car is on the move and is instead intended to be used to give the battery a jump start and get a car on the road again. "For standard vehicles, people would use it in emergency situations," he concluded.

However, experts are confident that solar panels integrated into the body of cars and capable of generating power to run electric applications or even give a boost to hybrid engines' battery packs are likely to emerge over the coming years.