In the trial round of the World Solar Challenge in Australia, more things went wrong than the Groningen-based Top Dutch team had expected. Nonetheless, their solar car Green Thunder stands at seventh place out of thirty-eight after three days.
‘Our brand-new, special solar deck flew off the car. It was very painful, and for a few days, we felt really defeated’, says team member Loeka Demkes.
The Top Dutch team is the first in the Solar Challenge to experiment with the greatly improved solar cells from Oxford PV. ‘They are still silicon cells, but with perovskite in them’, says Demkes. ‘We would definitely generate much more energy with them than other teams.’
Scratches and cracks
This advantage was partly lost. ‘There are quite a few scratches and cracks in the cells. They still do what they need to do, but they now produce less, and we also have to see how they hold up.’
Despite the damage, the team chose to continue using the new solar deck. Demkes explains that it is an exceptional opportunity to try out the cells at all. She also emphasises that the Solar Challenge is not just a race, but also an opportunity to contribute to the innovation of green mobility.
Internal competition
With their current seventh place, they are content, though they still aim for a top three position. According to Demkes, they are competing with top teams from Japan, the Netherlands, and the United States, but their main goal is not to defeat them but to outperform the previous Top Dutch team.
‘There are a few alumni from 2021 supporting us, and a bit of internal competition has emerged’, she says with a laugh. ‘Two years ago in Morocco, they came in fourth, so that’s the minimum we should achieve too.’
The team has until Sunday, October 29, to climb in the rankings. That marks the end of the 3000-kilometre biennial race between the north and south coasts of Australia.