Home Energy System (MAE 188)

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Submitted by phchou on Thu, 03/15/2018 - 15:50

Topic:

Idea source:

Company Liaisons: Jae Kim, Richard Morley, Howard Jelinek

Faculty Advisors: Farzad Ahmadkhanlou, Vince McDonell (contact)

Project info

Currently MAE 188 is not a substitute for EECS 159A / CSE 181A, but we are investigating a way for it to fulfill the requirements of EECS 159B / CSE 181B.  For now it can be a technical elective.

Motivation

  • Providing zero net energy solutions for housing, shopping centers, and remote villages can provide reliability, cost savings, and environmental benefits
    • Conceivably could go “off the grid” if solution is robust enough
    • “Zero carbon footprint” home possible
  • Reliance upon traditional renewable like wind and solar is compromised because these resources are intermittent (no electricity when the sun is down or wind stops)
    • Need to add element of storage or base power to “flatten” the intermittency
  • Vision:  Develop a smart energy management system to accept power from various sources and dispatch it as needed

Overall Concept

  • E-box is the energy management system
  • Phase I EDI project (S ‘16) designed battery storage system
  • Current phase will focus on integration of e-box with fuel cell