DLSU students, faculty developing new solar-powered car

MANILA, Philippines –  A team of 22 engineering students and seven faculty members of the De La Salle University-Manila’s Mechanical Engineering and Electronics and Communications Engineering departments are developing a third generation solar-powered car dubbed “Sikat II” that would take part in the 3,000-kilometer World Solar Challenge in Australia in October.

School officials led by DLSU president Bro. Ricky Laguda, FirstGen Corp. president and chief executive officer Federico Lopez, and officials of the Philippine Solar Car Challenge Society, Inc. (PSCCSI) presented to media yesterday a miniature replica of Sikat II.

Jose Antonio Catalan, along with fellow DLSU-Manila faculty member Dr. Pag-asa Gaspillo, said that the formal presentation of Sikat II upped the level of excitement, as well as pressure, for the team as they construct the solar car.

“We’re all excited over Sikat II. We’ve already reached 20 percent of the construction at present,” Catalan told The STAR after the official public presentation yesterday morning.

The PSCCSI, a group supporting the DLSU students that includes FirstGen, its sister company First Philec Solar Corp., Sunpower Corp., Ford, Shell, Merritt Partners, Isla Lipana & Co., hailed the Sikat II effort as a showcase of the talent and ingenuity of the Filipino engineering student.

“Sikat II is a testament of Filipino creativity and ingenuity, talent and technological capability in tapping clean and renewable sources of energy such as solar power. Just like Sinag and Sikat, Sikat II is beaming with promise as it shows the world what solar energy is capable of and what Filipinos can do in the field of science and technology,” PSCCSI said in a statement issued yesterday.

Sikat II will be the country’s entry in the World Solar Challenge 2011, a 3,000-kilometer race from Darwin to Adelaide from Oct. 16 to 23. It will be the Philippines’ second time to join the race.

Sikat II boasts of many improvements to its design and mechanical features from its predecessors Sikat and Sinag, both developed by DLSU engineering students and their professors in previous years.

The Sikat II sports a sleek and aerodynamic body made of lightweight carbon fiber-honeycomb composite. It is said to be faster that Sikat and Sinag, with a top speed of 110 kilometers per hour with its two kilowatt motor. It weighs in at less than 180 kilograms, at least 20 kilograms lighter than Sikat and at least 110 kilograms lighter than Sinag.

The Filipino solar car will harness the inexhaustible power of the sun, with solar energy harvested and converted into electricity by photovoltaic cells.

Sikat II is equipped with Filipino-made solar cells from Sunpower Philippines, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells in the world based in Laguna.

Sikat II is expected to finish the 3,000-kilometer race in a record-breaking feat this October.

The Philippines’ first solar car, Sinag, accomplished a remarkable debut by finishing 12th among a field of 40 entries in the international race in 2007.

“More than a source of pride to the country, Sikat II marks another landmark achievement in harnessing alternative energy sources. The journey of Sikat II is set to start a spark that will create new awareness about the unlimited potential of solar power and the potential of our dedicated and talented young pioneers,” the PSCCSI said.