Solar Panel Team

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Solar Panel

The Solar Panel Team, composed of two veterans of the Solar Vehicle Project, has a goal to design and construct high quality, efficient solar panels to power the cube
satellites. By doing this entirely in-house, critical funding can be saved and devoted elsewhere on the project. Work is currently being done on the 3rd revision of the solar panels, incorporating the deployment mechanism and minor electrical improvements.

This system presents a unique design challenge, as the satellites must have one end orientated towards the sun, negating the effects of traditional, side-mounted solar panels. This means the panels must fold out from the sides in order to collect any radiation thus requiring a hinging and deployment system. See below for an illustration of this concept.

Panel Deployment