Grantee Research Project Results

2013 Progress Report: Power in a Box: Shipping Sustainable Energy to Recovering and Off-the-Grid Communities

EPA Grant Number: SU835364
Title: Power in a Box: Shipping Sustainable Energy to Recovering and Off-the-Grid Communities
Investigators: Peters, Catherine A. , Bou-Zeid, Elie , Fauber, Ryan , Fisher, David , Hummel, Ben , Katz, Aaron , Konttinen, Patrick , Kosk, Michael , Li, Jacqueline , Nehme, Lynn , Smith, Kate , Tamir, Uyanga , Vasquez, Ethan , Vystavel, Fred , Wawrzonek, Christian
Institution: Princeton University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: II
Project Period: August 15, 2012 through August 14, 2014
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 15, 2012 through August 14,2013
Project Amount: $90,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2012) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Power-in-a-Box^TM is a system for portable renewable energy. (See Box 1) It is a hybrid wind-solar power generator that is packed and transported in a standard cargo shipping container. (See Box 2) On site, the wind turbine is erected to 40 ft using only human power in about 1 hour. Power production is on the scale of 1 to 5 kW, and is stored in a battery bank that will provide electricity for 1 to 3 days depending on the load. 

In the spring of 2012, the students brought the Power-in-a-Box^TM 1 kW prototype to Washington, D.C. to compete in the EPA P3 National Sustainable Design EXPO, winning a Phase II grant. The first mahor objective was to build a larger-scale version of Power-in-a-Box^TM and tackle new design challenges related to the increased power production. The second major objective was to deploy the system to a site for testing and demonstration. The remote deployment goals were as follows. 

Goal 1: to test the technical performance of the Power-in-a-Box^TM in the harsh, windy conditions of an island setting. 

Goal 2: to test the international shipping logistics, including working with an international shipping company, and getting through customs in a foreign country. 

Goal 3: to have impact by demonstrating renewable energy in an energy-impoverished nation.

This project is being conducted by a team of Princeton students from a wide range of disciplines including engineering, history, anthropology, and sociology. The students are working in the context of an Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) course, which enables student-led projects, multidisciplinary teams and hands-on learning.

Progress Summary:

• In June 2013, Princeton students reconstructed the Power-in-a-Box^TM system upgrading it from the prototype of 2012 to a full hybrid system complete with a sensor system for power performance testing (See Boxes 3 and 4). The new system is constructed inside an open-top 20 foot standard cargo shipping container, unlike the prototype which was built inside a closed-top 20 foot container for which the top had been partially cut out, rendering it unfit for overseas transport. The original triangular truss telescoping tower, base and track were taken from the prototype and reused, as was the Whisper 100 wind turbine. The new system has a new six-panel solar array, a hybrid charge controller, and a 24 V bank of twelve deep cycle batteries. The new system has a cable guy wire system with four-point connections to each of the container corners, a three-tiered guy wire system to each of the elements of the telescoping tower, and turnbuckles for tension adjustment. The sensor system is designed to collect power generation data for the wind turbine and solar panels, as well as battery discharge rates, wind speeds, and solar radiation intensity.
• Several efforts were aimed at field testing of structural stability, power performance, and ease of use. Impact has been achieved through demonstrations and educational outreach at local schools and a spin-off project in Oshiyie, Ghana (See Box 5). In August 2013, Princeton University students installed a 2 kW wind turbine at PAGA in Oshiyie, Ghana, inspired by the Power-in-a-Box^TM design. Pan African Global Academy (PAGA) is a high school founded by Princeton Prof. Carolyn Rouse (Anthropology). The mission is to educate the next generation of Ghanaian leaders in sustainable technologies. The turbine now provides light and electrical power for the school and serves as a key instructional element. PAGA has started a canteen with a refrigerator to generate income.

Future Activities:

• Princeton students successfully designed and built a full-scale Power-in-a-Box^TM, with enhanced power performance from a balanced hybrid wind-solar system, a reliable cable guy wire system, with a wind/solar/power sensor data collection system, in a shipping-certified open-top cargo container. 
• Power-in-a-Box^TM can produce up to a 4 kW at peak capacity. Under variable weather conditions and time-of-day, Power-in-a-Box^TM averages 1-2 kW. With regard to utility, 0.9 kW of energy can supply the amenities for a basic health clinic: a light bulb, computer, refrigerator, clock, radio, telephone, TV, fan, satellite dish, and a phone charger. 
• The system has been tested for ease of deployment, structural stability, and power production in a range of conditions. 
• The system has been used to demonstrate portable renewable energy to school children and other audiences in several venues. 
• This project generated a spin-off project of the installation of a 2 kW wind turbine at the PAGA school in Oshiyie, Ghana

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 1 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

Portable renewable energy, wind power, solar power, cargo shipping container

Relevant Websites:

PowerBox - Princeton Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

Final

P3 Phase I:

Wind Energy for Haiti: A Rapidly Deployable Renewable Energy System  | Final Report