Page 52 - Silver Lakes_Issue 10_2022

MOTORING

2022 SASOL SOLAR CHALLENGE

By Bev Hermanson

Striving to ignite curiosity and a love for science and engineering in our younger generation

he South African Sasol Solar Sasol started sponsoring the event in 2012, 2022 route to the finish line at the V&A
Challenge was back in full force four years after it began, and has continued Waterfront in Cape Town went through
th
Tthis year, marking the 14 edition to do so to encourage further development five provinces and 18 towns that included
of this event. Among the nine teams who in solar technology. The challenge was Trompsburg, Willowmore, Kirkwood,
participated was a group of high school inspired by the Bridgestone World Solar Jeffreys Bay, Riversdale and Caledon. The
learners who managed to surpass their goal Challenge that has been held in Australia vehicles were required to use the public
of covering 1 000km by more than 200km. since 1987. Now run and owned by a firm roads, sharing space with trucks and
of experienced events professionals based regular traffic. At each stage, large crowds
The Sasol Solar Challenge entails in Centurion, this event has over the years turned out to welcome the participants
conceptualising, designing and building attracted participants from Hong Kong, and school children were given talks on
a car that is able to cover large distances Hungary, Japan, Poland, Belgium, The how the technology was being utilised.
using sunlight that is converted to solar Netherlands and Turkey, and has often
power. This ticks all the boxes for students included the top global solar racing teams. There were a number of first entries this
both at school and university level, in that year – the Genuine JV Solar Car built by
it requires the practical application of STEM This year’s eight-day event took place the team of high school students, as well
(science, technology, engineering, and from 9 to 16 September. Starting from as entries from UNISA, the University of
mathematics) principles. the Carnival City Casino in Brakpan, the the Free State, Solar Flair built by a team

50 | INTRAMUROS NOVEMBER 2022