Solar car causes a stir in DeFuniak Springs, Seaside

"I want to inspire people to live their dreams," said Marcelo da Luz, when asked about the mission of his "Power of One" solar car project.

Da Luz's appearance at the national night of prayer in DeFuniak Springs May 7 and at the Seaside Farmers' Market May 9 inspired many local folks and visitors to open their eyes, hearts, restaurants and parking lots to the visitors from another country. Some thought they were from another world.

Canadian da Luz drives the Power of One (Xof1) solar car, with cohort Michael Fein (from the Netherlands) following in a support vehicle and trailer. Committed to promoting the use of clean and sustainable energy, the Xof1 car is traveling entirely on sunshine. The bright yellow car covered with solar panels has never been plugged into the electric grid.

They stick to secondary highways for safety reasons. Even so, Da Luz has been pulled over to the side of the road by curious authorities 17 times on his transcontinental journey thus far. Getting a license to operate the vehicle on roads in Canada provided an initial challenge that was creatively solved only by contacting countries around the world, finally obtaining a license from the United Arab Emirates.

According to Luz's Web site, the objective of the project is to develop and build a solar car to set the world distance record. Luz has already accomplished that goal, clocking more than 12,500 miles on a route from Canada through the Antarctic Circle and across the U.S. The road trip began in June 2008.

The journey of invention started in earnest nine years earlier, in Canada. Da Luz was an airline attendant with a vision to change the world. He convinced a sufficiently large team of engineers, designers, nurses and teachers to join him on the expedition, donating skills, funds, tangible and intangible support.

The result is a live demonstration of solar power with huge curbside appeal.

The appearance of the vehicle here drew stares, generated questions and provoked thinking about a subject that brings science, politics and human perseverance of a lofty goal into a brightly focused spotlight.

"Michael and Marcelo are extraordinary people on an unbelievable journey," said Celeste Dick, who met the duo in DeFuniak Springs and quickly became an enthusiastic supporter of their mission last Thursday. Later, she learned that they had experienced a damaging break-in while visiting New Orleans only a week earlier, losing passports, equipment and irreplaceable data - about $10,000 worth of damages, all told. Da Luz, however, was philosophic about the break-in.

"I don't hope anything bad happens to whoever did this or anything, " said Da Luz." I just hope their lives turn out better so they don't need to do this to anyone else."

The Power of One project, a live demonstration of solar power now nearing a year on the road, relies on contacts and serendipitous meetings to provide daily sustenance to the effort. Without major corporate sponsorship, Da Luz has used his personal finances and the kindness of strangers to travel. They were not disappointed in Walton County.

"They asked me if I could help them," said Dick. Dick introduced the intrepid pair to Hotel DeFuniak owners Michelle and Brad Harding, who provided Wi-Fi access and contacts with boat captains in the Florida Keys, the car's next destination.

Dick found them a place to park the solar car and the chase vehicle, where the two sleep for the night, in the Wal-Mart Super Center, safely tucked away among the more traditional RV's.

She led them to a friendly mechanic, Tim Rockman, of Rockman Automotive, across the street, for assistance with a wheel problem.

She took them to Beef O'Brady's for a complementary lunch and introduced them to Senor Mojito's Restaurant south of the Bay, where the Power of One spent Saturday night.

On Saturday morning, Dick called security at Seaside and arranged for two prime parking spots just off County Road 30A to show off the solar vehicle and park the chase car.

Now, Dick is lining up escorts for the road show from Miami to the Keys and all along the way to Washington, D.C. As of Tuesday morning, Xof1 was in Tampa, headed toward the Florida Keys, with a stop scheduled next in Miami.

Dick's cousin, Michael DeLucia, joined the entourage in Tampa.

"It has been a life-changing experience to meet them; I didn't want to let them go," said Dick.

"One person can make a difference," said da Luz.

 ON THE WEB:

- Full technical specifications, a route map and more history of the project is available at www.xof1.com

- Click on "donate" to access full details.

- For the educators, da Luz offers a make-it-yourself low tech working model of a solar car on the Web site.

- For more photos, visit the Walton Sun's Photo Gallery.