National documentary will feature Northwestern’s solar car team

In addition to designing cars that run off sunlight, the Northwestern Solar Car Team found itself placed squarely in the spotlight on Sunday.

The NU team was one stop on the cross-country filming trip organized by Alan Blake, director and creator of the documentary project "Solar Generation."

"We're filming solar installations and the people connected to them — designers, manufacturers, or customers," Blake said. "We're trying to convey to American people that solar energy is part of the fabric of the American energy scene."

The footage and interviews from these diverse sources will be compiled into a series of webisodes to be released every week on YouTube and www.solargenerationusa.org, the website of the national trade association for the solar energy industry.

The solar team, which works to raise awareness about sustainability, met in the predawn gloom on Sunday to attend the film shoot. Attired in natty khaki and dress skirts, each member of the team had a few seconds to express their thoughts on solar energy in front of the camera.

"I come from a country with 2.9 billion people," McCormick freshman Terry Li said. "What do we need? Solar energy."

The film crew found this sentiment so compelling that they had Li repeat his statement five times so he could be filmed from several different angles. His words inspired other members of the team to explore their own reasons for becoming solar enthusiasts and speak passionately on the issue.

McCormick sophomore Carly Major then took the solar car for a spin by the lakeside path, incorporating both the sleek durability of the vehicle and the natural beauty of the Evanston shore into the documentary. The dual appeal was aimed at creating the impression of a quotidian scene in the near future, where solar cars would share the road with joggers and bikers on their morning workout.

The first "Solar Generation" webisode, which covered solar panels on homes and buildings, was released last week. The episode with footage of the solar car team is scheduled to be posted next week.

"Solar energy has arrived," Blake said. "If you're somebody who's sitting on the fence, who thinks that perhaps solar energy is still in its infancy, we've made it obvious that solar energy has actually grown up and is a realistic, practical option."

— tomzhao2014@u.northwestern.edu, contributing writer