Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 11:14:45 AM - by Danny Vo

High school students from around the country recently had a chance to participate in the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge, which helps call attention to the transportation potential of solar energy.

The event is underway this week at the Texas Motor Speedway, where teams are competing to see which vehicle can complete the most laps over a four-day period. According to the event website, there are 43 current high school solar vehicle projects in the U.S., and the current challenge has drawn students from New York to California.

The event websites also indicates that in odd-numbered years, the challenge is held at the speedway, while in even numbered years the challenge goes across the country to help raise public awareness of solar energy.

The vehicles in the competition tend to have a flat shape and much of their surface is covered with photovoltaic panels. No commercially produced car uses solar energy technology for propulsion at this point, although the 2010 Toyota Prius has made news for a small solar panel that helps provide some power to the vehicle's interior.

A similar event is held each year featuring vehicles designed by college students.