The 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge (PWSC) is a 3,000 km trek across the Australian outback using individually designed vehicles running solely on solar power. Six teams proudly represent Canada in the global race to sustainable transportation technology.

The competition which marks its 20th anniversary in 2007 has grown from 23 teams representing 7 countries to a total of 58 teams representing 13 countries. What started as one man's 20 day trek across the dessert has turned into a showcase of sustainable technologies with revolutionary ideas attracting world leading automotive companies like Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Honda.

Four of the Canadian teams are entered in the 'Challenge Class', for vehicles that contain the most cutting edge designs and technological innovations with the potential for marketplace viability. Sunstang Solar Car Project (driving Sunstang 2K7), Queens University Solar Vehicle Team (Aurum), University of Calgary Solar Team (Soleon II) and the University of Waterloo (Midnight Sun) are the Canadian contingent in the Challenge Class

Team Blue Sky Solar Racing (Cerulean) and Esteban (Esteban IV) are the Canadian teams entered in the Adventure Class. The Adventure Class is less focused on a viable market design and more on the thrill of the experience and creating a vehicle that can tough it out over the harsh terrain of the Australian outback.

Entering the competition for the 9th time, the University of Waterloo team holds the current world record for the longest distance traveled in a solar vehicle (over 13,000 km). The car, Midnight Sun IX (MS9), was two years in the making, with over 100 students participating in its design and development. With its hold on a world record for distance, and top 5 finishes (and the top Canadian team) using MS9's last three predecessors, the team is poised to make another strong finish.

A second Canadian team in the Challenge Class is Queens University from Toronto, driving the car Aurum (Latin for gold). Although the team is there to win, its overall objective is to learn from the experience. The team is seeking to promote environmental awareness and to advance alternatives to fossil fuels. They also are promoting the importance of engineering in today's society and of post-secondary education.

Their message is spread through race events such as the PWSC and the North American Solar Challenge (NASC), workshops on alternative energy technologies and public relations events.

The University of Calgary team made their PWSC debut in 2005, placing 10th in the competition making it the best performance of a rookie team in the 20 years of the event. Despite being considered underdogs in this year's competition, team Calgary is confident their ingenuity and design, which proved successful in their initial effort, will propel them to a better ranking this time around.

The Sunstang Solar Car Project, hailing from the University of Western Ontario, is the final Canadian team entered in the Challenge Class. The team has 15 years of experience behind it and is eager for the competition. They believe that the PWSC is their chance to 'represent the university, and Canada, as leaders in engineering innovation and alternative fuel design'.

Blue Sky Solar Racing, from the University of Toronto, is one of two Canadian teams entered in the Adventure Class. Earlier in 2007, tragedy struck the team as member and engineering student Andrew Frow was killed while driving the team car, Cerulean.

(Correction: The tragedy occurred in 2004, in Faust 2. The BlueSky Solar Racing team built Cerulean in memory of Andrew to honor him. Source: http://www.blueskysolar.utoronto.ca)

"It wasn't simply a design project for him," said team managing director, David Nam, speaking of Andrew. "It was an opportunity he astutely recognized that would allow him to actually participate in the world unfolding around him." In this regard, for team Blue Sky Solar racing, it is about more than just adventure, it is about honouring Andrew's memory by helping to advance sustainable transportation technology for the benefit of the planet.

The second Canadian team entered in the Adventure Class, Team Esteban from the University of Montreal, is appearing in the competition for the first time. The Esteban Club, established at the University in 1998, developed three prototype cars before creating Esteban IV, the car to be used in the PWSC.

Solar Home
The University of Montreal has been busy with other solar technology, entering a team into the Solar Decathlon, an annual competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive, effective, and energy-efficient and completely solar-powered house. Team Montreal was the only Canadian entrant in the competition and placed 8th in the final standings out of 20 contenders. Teams from all over the world applied for the Solar Decathlon, so even be selected as one of the 20 official competitors is in itself a great honour.

Prior to the competition, the selected teams designed their homes and transported them to Washington, D.C. to be judged in 10 separate contests from October 12th to 20th. The contests consisted of architecture, engineering, market viability, communications, comfort, appliances, hot water, lighting, energy balance and getting around. Teams were graded in their performance in each area and the grades tallied for final scores and placing.

Team Montreal's house was unique by the additional of an artificial intelligence feature that was installed. Their 'smart' house was able to search the Internet for weather forecasts to estimate the amount of energy it would require in coming days. It then made suggestions to the house occupants on energy allocations and use.

The target group for Team Montreal is residents of northern climates, having a mandate to show that solar technology can work in the cold. The house will be placed in Environment Canada's Biosphere and made available to the public in five years.

Other Links:

The official website for the 2007 Panasonic World Solar Challenge

More information on the Solar Decathlon

Information on Team Montreal's solar project

Further information on Canadian entrants of the PWSC can be found here:

• Team Esteban
• Blue Sky Solar Racing
• University of Waterloo
• University of Calgary
• Queens University
• Sunstang Solar Car Project