United Nations of Beer

World Solar Challenge

by Jane Turner
(Beer Delegate, QLD, Australia)

World Solar Challenge

The WSC is not a race, it's a test of endurance. Featuring a variety of 'alternative'-fuelled vehicles, the challenge is to travel from Darwin to Adelaide, straight through the harshest of outback territory in the hottest part of Australian summer.

Sounds rough -- and it will be! -- but helping the teams to keep their cool are the exclusive United Nations of Beer and Team Ethanol stubby beer coolers.

Designed by Queensland Beer Delegate, Jane Turner, the stubby coolers will be handed out by Team Ethanol to other teams in the challenge and members of the press, all of whom will be desperate to keep their beers chilled in the expected 40-degrees-plus Celcius conditions.

The World Solar Challenge is an open invitation to research teams and universities. The aim is to give their solar-powered vehicles the toughest test possible, while having a lot of fun! (All in the name of sensible science, of course.)

Representing the United Nations of Beer will be Jane Turner, who was invited to be part of Team Ethanol. The "Greenfleet Section" of the WSC was opened up to encourage research into alternative fuels. With world oil prices booming and superpowers causing misery and disruption to ensure their crude supply, you can see why the World Solar Challenge makes perfect sense.

Team Ethanol is part of the Greenfleet Section. Its vehicle is an 85% ethanol- powered Saab (right), which, without any disrespect intended, sounds a lot more comfy than some of the weird and wonderful entries -- such as the Twike (below). Picture yourself driving through the desert in that? Me either.

It was Jane's idea to produce the UNOB stubby beer coolers. Jane is keeping some back for UNOB readers to win after the event, so stay tuned for the competition! As far as limited editions go, this will be a real rarity: only 250 of these coolers will ever be produced.

The vast majority will be given away by Team Ethanol members, both to other teams and the press. You can imagine how tricky it will be to prise them out of the sticky fingers of thirsty journalists...