Fraunhofer Wants Solar Cells On Vehicles — To Help The Grid

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The idea of putting solar panels on vehicles has been around for decades. I can’t say how many companies I’ve seen come and go that planned to produce and sell solar-powered cars. It’s just not the safest and most efficient place to deploy solar panels. However, I’ve never really seen the argument for them that Fraunhofer ISE is making. Fraunhofer ISE is saying that solar cells on cars “can take the pressure off the grid in Europe.”

At a time when the energy transition is going through so many challenges in Europe, could solar cells on vehicles make a big difference? I’m skeptical, but let’s see the case Fraunhofer ISE is making.

“Vehicles that generate their own solar power could make a significant contribution to the decarbonization of the transportation sector. Findings from the European research project SolarMoves suggest that so-called Vehicle Integrated Photovoltaics (VIPV)—solar modules integrated into vehicles—can significantly reduce electricity demand and the strain on the power grid. The study found that, in the best-case scenario, a passenger car in Central Europe can generate up to 55 percent of its annual energy needs on its own; in Southern Europe, this figure can reach up to 80 percent,” the well known research institute writes.

“The European pilot project ‘SolarMoves,’ led by TNO, Fraunhofer ISE, Sono Motors, IM Efficiency, and Lightyear, investigated the technical and practical potential of vehicles that generate their own solar energy on behalf of the European Commission. By integrating solar modules into the roof, hood, and even the side panels of vehicles, electricity is generated right where it is consumed. This requires neither additional space nor new infrastructure, nor does it place a burden on the power grids.”

Yeah, we get the idea of what solar cells on vehicles can provide. The questions still are whether it makes financial sense to put solar cells on vehicles, and whether a company can be profitable producing and selling solar vehicles.

I’m sure many of you will have noticed a couple of names in that list above — Sono Motors and Lightyear. We haven’t heard anything from these companies in a long time, but both had that dream of producing popular solar-powered vehicles for the masses.

Getting back to the study, “The SolarMoves study found that a passenger car in Central Europe—assuming short annual usage cycles and a large roof area (as is the case with SUVs, for example)—can generate up to 55 percent of its energy needs itself; in Southern Europe, this figure can reach up to 80 percent. This not only makes the vehicle more convenient to use by reducing the number of external charging sessions, but also significantly lowers the amount of external electricity consumed per kilometer.” That pitch does sound compelling, doesn’t it? However, we’ve heard this kind of thing for years, yet I don’t see any commercially available cars competing on the market and getting thousands of sales.

“The study analyzed data from 23 different vehicle types—ranging from compact city cars to heavy-duty trucks—and combined detailed vehicle and driving profiles with Meteosat satellite data, as well as meteorological data from Amsterdam and Madrid,” explained Christian Braun, project staff member and researcher at Fraunhofer ISE. “To do this, the vehicles were equipped with sensors, and measurement data from 1.3 million kilometers driven was analyzed.”

Perhaps heavy-duty and medium-duty trucks really would be ideal places to deploy mobile solar panels. According to the researchers, the extra cost could be made back in just two years. “VIPV also offers advantages for diesel trucks: Since air conditioning, heating, and other systems require less diesel, fuel consumption would be significantly reduced. The research team calculated that this could allow the investment costs for VIPV to pay for themselves in less than two years.”

Here’s the final word from the research team: “The research team estimates that the benefits in the logistics sector are particularly significant. Delivery vans, trucks, and vehicle trailers have a lot of roof space and simultaneously consume a great deal of energy for cooling, heating, and auxiliary units. For electric trucks, VIPV extends the daily range by up to 15 percent. For truck trailers, the electricity yield can reach up to 55 kilowatt-hours per day in the summer and 90 to 110 kilowatt-hours if the side walls are also equipped with solar panels—enough to power cooling or hydraulic systems completely and emission-free.” That does sound convincing, no?