The Solar Cup is an eco-boating competition in

Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...

. Paid for by the

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cit ...

and taking place on

Lake Skinner Skinner Reservoir, also known as Lake Skinner, is a reservoir in western Riverside County, California, located at the foot of Bachelor Mountain in the Auld Valley, approximately northeast of Temecula. It was created in 1973 by the construction ...

, the competition revolves around high school teams constructing

solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...

electric boat An electric boat is a powered watercraft driven by electric motors, which are powered by either on-board battery packs, solar panels or generators. While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power ...

s. Boats are built from identical kits of marine-caliber wood provided by the water district, and are generally 16 feet long, and weigh about 250 pounds. This competition is inspired by the Solar Splash competition at the university level. Solar Cup begins with sign up in December, and includes a boat-building event and several workshops focusing on technical aspects such as drive trains, electrical systems, solar power collection and steering systems. Teams are also required to meet deadlines for submitting illustrated reports on these systems. In 2007 the competition was split between "veteran" (returning) and "rookie" (new) teams. The competition is a scored event, divided up into several categories: Technical Reports, Workshops, Visual Displays, Qualifying Times, Endurance Distance, and Sprint Times. Combined, all of these categories add up for a 1000 maximum possible points. Overall, 41 teams competed in 2007, and 36 teams competed in 2010.

Competition results

References

Photovoltaics Temecula, California {{Renewable-energy-stub