Unique Solar Technology to Power Cars of the Future

Solar powered electric cars will significantly reduce our carbon footprint

Every hour, 430 quintillion Joules of energy from the Sun hits the Earth. In simpler terms, the energy we get from sun in an hour is more than the entire world energy demand for a year!
This shows that the sun alone is more than sufficient for all our energy needs for many years to come. Moreover, we do not need to worry about alternate sources of energy as the hydrogen reserves in the sun are enough to keep it burning for another 5 billion years!
With the sun having so much to offer, countries in the Middle East and North Africa region seem ideal places to utilize solar power. However, solar power is one of the least-used forms of energy even today, as most of the world relies on non-renewable resources like oil, coal, and natural gas.
One reason for this is that producing energy from fossil fuels is much cheaper. Whereas, the current solar power technology and equipment is expensive and not efficient enough to effectively capture and store solar energy thus making it an unreliable source of power.
Therefore, researchers and scientists across the world are exploring ways to maximize the use of solar energy. This will not only diversify our energy resources but will also help to significantly reduce the stress caused to the environment due to carbon emissions.
As part of these efforts, a team of researchers from Texas A&M University at Qatar and College Station in Texas, USA, led by Prof. Mladen Kezunovic from the College Station Campus, carried out a research project funded by QNRF in the 8th Cycle of its flagship National Priorities Research Program (NPRP) titled, “Integration of Solar Generation and Electrical Vehicles into The Smart Grid” (Project ID: NPRP8-241-2-095).
As part of the project, the research team investigated the potential benefit from integration of electrical vehicles (EVs) and photovoltaic (PV) generation into smart grid. The optimal method studied in this project was to coordinate EVs battery storage and solar generation to help improve the power system performance.
In a bid to develop a unique technology which uses solar power to charge electric vehicles,  this project focused on two main areas: a) integration of PV generation and EV charging stations with the power system using advanced power electronics, and b) analysis of the impacts of the PVs and EVs on the power grid operation.
Highlighting the significance of the outcomes of this research project, Prof. Kezunovic said: “The result of this project will not only benefit the placement of EV charging stations and PV to better utilize the electric grid resources, but will also benefit the power grid operation and pave the road for future integration of smart grid flexible technology and engagement of customers.”
The local implementation of this technology holds a lot of potential as Qatar is facing growing issues with tail-pipe pollution from the increasing number of personal vehicles. Therefore, use of PV generation and EVs seems to be a natural choice for managing our carbon footprint and enhancing the electricity grid resilience.
Moreover, this technology can also help the country get closer to achieving the aims of sustainability and environmental development as outlined in the Qatar National Vision 2030.