Summary - Reader Response Draft 1

The article “Go-Ahead Singapore rolls out 6-month trial of public buses with solar panels”, Yufeng. K (2021) explains the objective of implementation, test period and plan of action.

The six-month trial began in march with the installation of versatile solar panels on the “roof of two Man A22 Euro 6 diesel-powered buses”. The panels produce energy that charges the battery on the buses which is generally used for ignition and supplying power. Thus, lowering the engine load which previously depended solely on the vehicle’s alternator. The application will aid bus operator Go-Ahead Singapore, “save 1400 litres of diesel and a reduction of 3.7 tonnes of carbon emissions per bus per year” deriving on figures from a corresponding trial in the United Kingdom.

Much similar to the trial in United Kingdom, the trial in Singapore is to assess the buses performance with effectiveness and toughness of the panels. If it exceeds expectation, more diesel and possibly electric buses could be implemented which makes them to be “green and efficient” with the cooperation of LTA who owns the buses.

Some of the buses have been approved and will be monitored closely to form up with a schedule for inspection during the trial. Go-Ahead Singapore predicts the savings incurred in four years  will resolve their trial expenditure.

Thesis : Even though it raises the base costs of vehicles, solar panels should be an essential part of vehicles, on the grounds that makes vehicles overall fuel-saving. This is easily proved by statistics that have shown that solar panels on vehicles save fuel and reduces a significant amount of carbon emissions.

Control : Solar Panels should be an essential part of vehicles

Support 1: How Solar Panels will save more fuel / diesel for a vehicle

Support 2: Solar Panels costs and when it will be considered Return of investments

Support 3: Statistics of Solar Panels saving fuel / Diesel

Counter Argument: Solar Panels does not work during the night

The article “Automotive Applications of Solar Energy” introduces the research on possibility of applying solar energy to cars where it will be considered a evolution in cleaner energy. The article is trying to prove that Solar Panels can be a solution to counter rising fuel prices and also at the same time reduce the expected rising carbon emissions. The main use of Solar Panels is to produce bio-fuels for conventional vehicles and indirectly produce electricity to recharge Electrical Vehicles (EV) and Hybrid Electrical Vehicles (HEV). Solar Panels or photovoltaic panels generates solar energy by taking in light or photons that hit the photovoltaic cells and becomes a electron. This electron is then collected through the junction box that handles the transfer of negative and positive energy which is then supplied to the vehicles in this case.

The author’s research states that “for a typical use in urban driving (no more than one hour per day, according to recent statistics for Road Transport, with an average power between 7 and 10 kW, considering a partial recovery of braking energy)”, solar contribution can account to 20-30% of the required energy which is considered rather significant in terms of saving fuel. An advanced prototype study on hybrid vehicles by Queensland University, a hybrid series structure (Simpson et al, 2002), with photovoltaic panels has shown that it can achieve whopping 10% savings in fuel 

Solar panels in terms of overall cost savings, according to recent studies (Neil C, 2006), shown that PV panels added to hybrid cars could be even more cost effective than PV panels added to buildings. The study was further proven by evaluations made by the author who has calculated the solar panels displacing gasoline prices for vehicles versus solar panels displacing electricity for buildings.

Solar Energy being a renewable source compared to limited / depleting source like fossil fuel , it is one of the reason why oil prices are rapidly growing with unpredictable fluctuations. Therefore natural to wonder about the possible use of solar energy for automotive applications to cut cost. It is also noted that there is a significant trend in increasing efficiency of photovoltaic cell technology which could further boost the statistics shown above greatly in terms of savings in the future.

Limitations of solar panels is very clear that it does not work during the night time and is dependent on the Earth and Sun rotation. Research on panel positions by the Author has shown that it interferes greatly with the effectives of solar energy collection. The statistics are “a moving panel would increase the solar contribution from about 46% at low latitudes and up to 78% at high latitudes” where the author implies that the use of Solar panels on vehicles will only be feasible for parking phases. The parking phase opens up another argument on how especially in countries with limited spaces like Singapore, have multi-level carparks that immediately deems solar panel useless during parking.

These research and statistics show the capability of solar panels as a possible solution to cost savings when owning a car for daily use. Because solar panels is only an offset alternative for cost savings, it still overall saves fuel consumption in a way. Possibility becoming more significant as photovoltaic technology advances

References:

Adinolfi, G., Arsie, I., Di Martino, R., Giustiniani, A., Petrone, G., Rizzo, G., & Sorrentino, M. (2008). A Prototype of Hybrid Solar Vehicle: Simulations and On-Board Measurements. In Proc. of Advanced Vehicle Control Symposium AVEC (pp. 6-9).

“Comparative study of maximum power point tracking algorithms using an experimental, programmable, maximum power point tracking test bed”Conference Record of the Twenty-Eighth IEEE Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (2000), pp. 1699-17022000. 15-22 Sept. 2000

Rizzo, G. (2010). Automotive Applications of Solar Energy. IFAC Proceedings Volumes, 43(7), 174–185. https://doi.org/10.3182/20100712-3-de-2013.00199

Yufeng, K. (2021, March 30). Go-Ahead Singapore rolls out 6-month trial of public buses with solar panels. The Straits Times. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/first-public-buses-with-solar-panels-hit-the-road-in-six-month-trial-by-go-ahead