Solar Technology Showcase

The UA Tech Park at Rita Road is hosting a Solar Technology Showcase on July 21. The event will showcase Tech Parks’ award-winning solar initiatives including Racing the Sun and the Solar Zone as well as one of the nation’s top programs in solar energy – The Solar Car Challenge (SSC).

A special feature of the solar technology event will be an up-close personal experience with the SSC, a national STEM-based initiative helping to motivate students in Science, Engineering, and Alternative Energy. A caravan of SSC cars will be making a pit stop at the UA Tech Park as part of their cross-country road trip. Here the team will showcase their cars, mingle with the public and be briefed on the award-winning program.

The Racing the Sun program will be highlighted at the event to show how this unique solar go-kart program has high school teams from across the state of Arizona gaining workforce skills while having great fun. The program challenges high school students to design, build, and test solar go-karts using basic engineering and science concepts. Racing the Sun provides an experience students typically don’t have in the classroom. By working with both industry mentors and college students, participants learn from experts who provide guidance and demonstrate how to build a solar go-kart.

Another component of the event will be showcasing the technology from the Solar Zone. The Solar Zone at the UA Tech Park is one of the largest multi-technology solar demonstration sites in the United States. The Solar Zone consists of 10 companies, 223 acres and the capacity to generate 25 MW. The Solar Zone provides university and industry researchers with the ability to test and evaluate new technologies as they perform side by side.

What: Solar Technology Showcase at the UA Tech Park featuring the National Solar Car Challenge, one of the top science and engineering programs in the country.

Who: Twenty-eight solar cars from schools across the US, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, and the Bahamas take part in some phase of the Solar Car Challenge Education program. A total of 300 people including the teams and supporting members are expected at the UA Tech Park.

When: Saturday, July 21 from 2:00-3: 30 pm. Please come at 2:00 pm to see the solar cars and ask questions. A formal presentation will start at 2:45 pm.

Where: UA Tech Park 9052 S. Rita Road, Tucson, AZ 85747