2022 Philadelphia Solar Sprint was a Stunner!
June 2022: Perfect weather, a great venue, amazing volunteers and over 80 middle and high school students came together to create a fabulous Philadelphia Jr. Solar Sprint event on Saturday, June 4, at Drexel University! The students put their model solar cars through their paces, competing for awards in Technical Merit, Artistic Merit, Sustainability and of course, Speed. After a 2 year break due to COVID, it was wonderful to be back in person. This event is pure fun! It brings together solar enthusiasts of all ages, urban, rural and suburban, young and young at heart, experts and beginners to expand our knowledge of solar energy and take a step together toward a more sustainable future. More than 80 students participated along with their teachers, parents, siblings and friends from 7 different schools across the region.
This year, the Sprint expanded its solar exhibits, featuring a solar cooker cranking out solar s’mores, solar contractor exhibits, an EV demonstration and tours of Drexel University’s Engineering Labs.
To learn more, contact Liz Robinson lizhrob2@gmail.com or to register to participate next year, click here.
Teamwork at the Starting Line
Free Teacher Training: February 25, 2023
PSEA will hold a teacher training on Saturday, February 25th at the Friends Center, 1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. All materials will be provided free of charge. Teachers will learn how to teach their students to design, build and race model solar cars. To register, contact Liz Robinson, lizhrob2@gmail.com.
2019 Stunning Junior Solar Sprint Race
2019 Junior Solar Sprint held at drexel university was awesome.
Running on sunshine!
The 26th annual Junior Solar Sprint on Saturday, May 18th was a stunning success: it was truly a celebration of solar energy and community. The Sprint, hosted by the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association (PSEA), in partnership with Drexel University, is the culmination of an intensive, hands on STEM project for 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Given the perfect venue and weather on Saturday, 150+ middle school students got to race their model solar cars purely on solar power. Every student masters the basics of solar car design:
How do electrical circuits work? . . . . What is a gear ratio and how does it influence speed? . . . . How do weight and alignment influence performance? . . . . How do I design the car for maximum performance with a solar panel versus battery power? . . . . Should I solder the motor or attach it with clips?
Then come the really tough decisions: What should we name the car, and how should we decorate it?
A great deal of math and science go into the design of these cars, as well as tons of imagination, teamwork and creativity. That’s the beauty of the Junior Solar Sprint … it makes math and science FUN! As Bob Nape, Race Announcer put it, ”Everyone who raced a solar car today is a winner.” The Junior Solar Sprint is made possible through the volunteer efforts of dozens of solar professionals, electric vehicle enthusiasts, Drexel engineers and students, artists, and other folks who love kids and love solar energy.
The winners represented 5 of the 9 participating schools, placing in Speed, Technical Merit, Artistic Merit and Sustainability. The Junior Solar Sprint is open to all middle schools and after school programs in the Philadelphia region, including New Jersey and Delaware. This year more than 250 students participated from Arcola, Baldi, Cedarbrook, Jenks, E.M. Stanton, Houston, Souderton Charter, Stetson, and Wyndcroft.
The Philadelphia Solar Energy Association is comprised of an extremely dedicated and enthusiastic group of volunteers, and has sponsored this event for 27 years. “We are very excited to be partnering with Drexel University. This partnership really enriches the event, exposing young students to a major technical University, and connecting the Drexel students directly to technical training and solar applications.”
“Everyone learns from each other,” stated Joe Bruno, Race Coordinator.
Read more about PSEA’s partnership with Drexel.
Bob Nape: Soul of the Sprint
With a heavy heart, we share the sad news that Bob Nape died on January 2, 2021 in New York. Always passionate about the environment, Bob moved to Philadelphia and started his own business, “Solar is Hot’, installing solar water heating systems in 1984 when solar was in its heyday. He survived the downturn in the 90’s, and lived to see the solar industry come roaring back in the early 2000’s.
“In Philadelphia, one of my proudest accomplishments was the work of the Philadelphia Solar Energy Association. Along with Lisa Rose and others, we staged the annual Junior Solar Sprint competition, an exciting and educational model solar car race for junior high school students.”
Bob had a marvelous sense of humor, a generous spirit, tremendous patience and an engaging twinkle in his eye. He had a natural ability to build teams and strengthen communities, leaving a lasting living legacy.
He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.
PSEA Launches Solar Summer Camp
What could be a better time to learn about solar energy than during summer camp? PSEA’s first solar summer camp, a 2 day training for high school students was a great success. Three fabulous teachers and 21 eager students from schools across the region together with great support, space & plentiful sunshine on the Franklin Institute’s roof deck gave everyone a crash course in solar car design, building and of course racing.
For more information on solar summer camps contact PSEA at: lizhrob2@gmail.com.
Teacher Training Materials
PSEA has revised and updated its Teacher Training Materials for the Junior Solar Sprint. The Teacher Training Manual, the Introduction to Building a Model Solar Car and our Powerpoint are now available for download.
Our thanks to CUSP and the Philadelphia Office of Sustainability for their financial support for this effort.
This video captures the energy of the very FIRST Philadelphia Junior Solar Sprint in 1994:
Technical support professionals help the students make repairs at the Troubleshooting Table, below.
The Troubleshooting Table provides technical assistance, repairs & design improvements
2018 was the first time we had a car produced by a 3-D printer, and the first time we had a “Barbie Carbie!"
This event is open to all Middle & Junior High Schools in the Philadelphia region. Typically 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th graders design, build and race model solar cars that meet the specifications of the National Junior Solar Sprint. The program is also open to after school clubs and home-schooled students. Drexel University is partnering with PSEA to engage its students as volunteers and to expand the event to reach many more schools and have an even greater public education impact. PSEA members, consisting of solar professionals, engineers, artists and others volunteer hundreds of hours every year to make this event the rousing success it has been for nearly 3 decades!
Check out the story on Drexel's College of Engineering website: http://drexel.edu/engineering/news-events/archive/2018/May/solar-sprint-goes-on/
Indoor racing at the Drexel Armory
Resources for teachers and students can now be found on the PSEA website.
A workshop for teachers to learn about solar energy and specifically about how to help students build winning solar cars is available free of charge.
Contact Liz Robinson at lizhrob2@gmail.com to register for a free Teacher Training.
Curriculum for teachers to introduce students to solar energy is coming soon.
Register for the Junior Solar Sprint below!
The Junior Solar Sprint is a national program, recognized for its excellence in STEM education. In the process of building their model solar cars, students learn:
Fundamentals of Solar Photovoltaics (PV), how to convert solar energy into electricity
Basic electrical circuitry and wiring
Battery storage
Physics of energy transfer: converting solar energy into motion and speed
Gear ratios, alignment, relationship of wheel size to gear ratio
Equally important, students learn a great deal about teamwork, innovation, creativity, problem solving and competition. They develop grit. Most importantly, the Junior Solar Sprint is pure fun!
Sign up for the Junior Solar Sprint
If you have any questions please email Liz Robinson at : Lizhrob2@gmail.com