Driving across the state of Michigan on a sunny afternoon, I fell in love with the idea of a solar powered rover. Much like my love of Audrey Tautou, it's not terribly practical.

If I was being practical, I'd use a 160cc Honda GX engine and a 24 volt, 110 amp alternator. But, I don't like handling gasoline and I don't like the noise of engines. Besides, Home Depot is having a great sale on Grape Solar GS-Star-100W solar panels. They are less than the UPS Large Package Surcharge dimensions when shipped separately and will fit on a "standard" (40" x 48") pallet when assembled on a rover. Both of these are design goals.

Most importantly, I'm doing what I love.

I could talk about solar's "acoustical advantage over fossil fuel generators." But, I do try to be a bit more genuine than a government system report.

When I was in grade school, I went on a field trip to see a HERO 1 demonstration in the high school auditorium. I've wanted my own robot ever since. But, I wanted it to do something more interesting than roll back and forth across a stage.

What I love about the idea of putting a solar panel on my rover is that it could then "survive" somewhat independently of me. Without a solar panel, I would have to keep it's battery charged and it would probably spend much it's time in the garage. With a solar panel, it could "live" outside and at least tell the world what the local weather is like.