Applied Physics class turns golf cart into solar-charged mobile power station

By Brett McFarland

Applied and AP Physics instructor, Orcas Island High School

My Orcas High Applied Physics class will be attempting to adapt a golf cart — donated by Rob Harlow — to serve as a solar-charged mobile power station for the school maintenance staff.

The cart originally had a lead acid battery bank that had been removed before the class received the vehicle. The class will be working on building a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery as well as integrating a battery management system to monitor and protect the batteries from over and under voltage and temperature extremes. The cart will also have an onboard inverter to convert direct-current battery power to 120 volts of alternating current, or VAC, for running power tools and charging batteries for drills and other tools. Currently, the class is beginning the design phase of this project and they have been having visitors from Orcas and San Juan to inspire and advise them on what is possible for an assignment like this.

In late March, Sam Garson, STEM instructor from Friday Harbor High, drove his student-built electric car kit over to Orcas and chatted with students about lithium battery technologies and battery management systems and let students drive his kit car. Friday, April 4, Rainshadow Solar was generous enough to bring three of their electricians and former OHS students — Mason Brown, Annika Sanders and Tommy Alger into the classroom. They were joined by recent OHS graduate Porter Willis (now attending Bellingham Tech and enrolled in the Electrician Trades program) to share their background stories of how they got into the electrical trades but also give some advice on general wiring and using photovoltaic, or PV, on the golf cart project. Rainshadow employees will be visiting the class again in June to assess completion of the task and suggest any modifications and improvements.

I would like to thank Sam, Rainshadow Solar and Foundry10 for their generous donation of time and resources to motivate and energize local students. Foundry10 is a Seattle-based education research organization with a philanthropic focus on expanding ideas about learning and creating direct value for youth.