The mission of ASOM as a platform for fostering the solar mobility industry has become even more defined in the last months. Solar Mobility is becoming a more established field where both the solar and transportation sectors are beginning to find a common language. This was on display at the recent PV in Motion Conference in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands on 15-17 February. With more than 115 participants from 20 countries, researchers shared the newest results with respect to modelling, on-the-road measurements, manufacturing developments, and integration concepts. 

A number of the research results were focused on the question of how to model and estimate the impact of shade on on-board PV for passenger cars, vans, and commercial vehicles. A study by Fraunhofer ISE based on 10 months of measurements from more than 60 citizen scientists found a reduction in average irradiance of about 34%. This is in good agreement with a number of other studies based on a models or measurements from one or two vehicles. A study from Prof. Miguel Brito at the University of Lisbon showed that the impact of urban shade, like that of buildings in many cities, may significantly reduce the irradiance available in these environments when parking as well as when driving.