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Originally Posted by Binger
Think about this...plug in hybrids with solar panels on the roof...so they recharge them selves entierly as you drive.
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(Sigh) Do the math. IIRC, the energy of sunlight at 45 degrees latitude is approximately 700 watts per square meter - and that's meter perpendicular to the sun, on a clear day, at noon, in full sun. Solar panels on a car are not often going to be any of these, but ignore that for now, and figure that the sun's providing about 1 HP per square meter.
A solar cell that has 20% conversion efficiency is pretty darn good, so that's 0.2 hp per square meter of solar cells on your car. How many square meters can you fit? 5 seems pretty high, but it makes a nice round number. How far and how fast is your car going to go on one horsepower? And realistically that's the absolute max you're going to get. Most of the time you'll be getting much less.
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but look at how many cars are in the lot at your local mall. That would add up.
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Why not do something more practical instead? Put up shade structures in the parking lot, and cover their roofs with solar panels. That way they can be oriented to face the sun, and generate whenever the sun is shining, not just when your car happens to be in a sunny spot.