Solar cells are what create the difference between a solar car and an electric car, so obviously they’re one of the more important items we need to have. It’s been about 5 years and 2 cars since CalSol last bought cells, and we were all very excited to order a brand new set for Impulse, thanks in no small part to all of our wonderful sponsors. We went and talked to our friends at SunCat Solar, LLC, who despite their busy schedule managed to fit us on the list for some new cells. And we’re pleased to report that they’ve just arrived!
We ordered our previous cells from SunCat as well, and we’re really happy to continue working with them. On top of serving as the contact through which we buy the cells themselves, they also wire the individual cells into custom sized panels, and install protective encapsulation to ensure that a bit of dust or rain won’t interfere with the electrical contacts. These ones are SunPower C50 mono-crystalline silicon cells that are specified to operate at about 22% efficiency, a step up from our old 20% SunPower a300 cells. And I for one am super eager to begin working with them. Thanks again to everyone at SunCat Solar, LLC!