Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: University of Kansas Smart Grid Demonstration Project
EPA Grant Number: SU834697Title: University of Kansas Smart Grid Demonstration Project
Investigators: Depcik, Christopher , Moore, Andrew , Strecker, Bryan , Mattson, Jon , Clemon, Lee , Necefer, Len , Surface, Nicholas , Heilman, Shelton
Institution: University of Kansas
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2010 through August 14, 2011
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2010) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , P3 Awards , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The current electrical grid cannot maintain the rising energy demand of the digital age without the construction of new power plants. In addition, this increasing demand requires upgrading a large number of components within the aging energy infrastructure. Furthermore, with the advent and commercialization of electrified vehicles, energy demand has the capability to increase dramatically. A sustainable solution via renewable energy technologies can act to offset this increased demand; however, transformers and meters across the country do not currently account for this option. As a result, a wholesale revision of the electrical grid into an intelligent communication pathway (energy and information) is required to ensure the energy security of the United States.
Towards this objective, in early 2008, the PI met with interested students in order to establish a transportation program intent on exploring sustainable designs. From these meetings, students founded the EcoHawks design project based on five vectors of success in engineering: energy, environment, economics, education, and ethics. The focus of the students is a sustainable approach to automobiles and its associated energy infrastructure. By targeting each of these five areas, students are prepared to contribute significantly to modern technology with well-rounded designs and practical experience. The EcoHawks project is innovative both in structure and in research. Students explore advanced technologies first on a small scale in order to allow for extensive testing of theory before significant investments of time and capital in large-scale applications. After theories have been tested in the design lab, lessons learned from successes and failures greatly speed the construction process for full-scale implementation. This methodology has been proven through the recycling of a 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle into a fuel-neutral Plug-in series Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) along with the creation of a solar energy filling station. Moreover, this currently is evident through the conversion of a 1997 GMC Jimmy into a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) with advanced battery and motor technologies.
Supported by the EPA P3 initiative, the current small-scale stage of the EcoHawks design project involves creation of a smart energy infrastructure that integrates solar and wind renewable energy, electrified vehicle technologies, and information transmission in order to optimize energy resources and maximize overall system efficiency. The smart grid system focuses on accomplishing the two main objectives of the Department of Energy's requirements for an intelligently designed electric grid:
- Decentralization of energy production and storage
- Two-way communication from end users or appliances and the energy network.
It decentralizes energy production through deploying multiple renewable energy resources that can generate and manage power locally, leading to precision control of the electrical grid. Renewable energy is captured using both a student-built 45W solar panel and a 50W wind turbine to charge two separate battery banks, modeled by two deep cycle lead-acid batteries. Storing this energy within the system ensures that even when solar and wind systems are not actively producing power, there is still renewable power available for consumption. Moreover, further decentralization occurs by employing the LiFeYP04 battery pack of a PHEV/BEV as a reserve or dynamic storage bank. Use of a commercial vehicle in this manner can lower greenhouse-gas emissions, improve urban air quality, save consumers money, bolster power-grid reliability, and reduce oil imports.
The application of a smart grid allows for simple additions to the grid in terms of both energy production and storage, but this energy must be controlled for it to be used effectively. Thus, two-way communication between energy producers and consumers has been established using a LabVIEW program in which users can track and record all energy and efficiencies. Moreover, this program can control the flow of energy throughout the different subsections of the smart grid in order to maximize efficiency. It monitors power production and the reserve capacity available in the different decentralized storage mediums. Effectively, this system minimizes the usage of fossil-fuel power generation by prioritizing renewable energy and only using fossilized or petroleum power (modeled in the system with a gasoline generator) when the renewable power supply is insufficient to meet demand. Currently, the system employs manual switches to facilitate testing; however, the upgrade to digital switching is immediately available and plans are under way to implement its usage.
To facilitate this control, the system is outfitted with numerous sensors connected to National Instruments (NI) hardware. With these sensors in place, the user can be updated with information regarding the use of the system through the LabVIEW program. This allows the user the ability to fine-tune the system to his/her needs, or troubleshoot a malfunctioning system. Additionally, the sensors allow the LabVIEW program to calculate efficiency losses, both within individual parts of the system, as well as over entire subsections of the smart grid.
One final aspect of the system is the inherent need for power conversion within the sources, storage units, and sinks. While the modem electrical grid uses AC power, many components within the smart grid do not, namely the battery and renewable energy generation systems. For maximum functionality, inverters convert DC power from the batteries into AC power useable by the control system, appliances, and the battery management systems. The inclusion of multiple inverters adds a degree of freedom to the system's ability to control the flow of energy between sources and sinks at any one time.
PHEV and BEV technology creates another opportunity for the smart grid to store and use renewable energy. Through enabling energy and communication flow in both Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V) systems, the smart grid utilizes the battery systems of these vehicles as auxiliary storage to help buffer the supply and demand of energy at peak hours, such as the evening work rush hour. For example, this can be accomplished by charging the car's battery pack at night when energy demand on the grid is low, with subsequent selling back of any excess energy at peak hours for a profit. The smart grid control system would be able to buy back energy from the electric vehicle owner to supplement the power supply. Moreover, this promotes efficiency of conventional power plants by limiting cyclical operation and wasting of resources at night by dumping energy.
The scale grid includes a popcorn maker as a model appliance demonstrating the end of the energy flow line. This allows for testing and sizing of the battery systems to ensure sufficient capacity for storage of renewable sources. Moreover, smart appliances in the future will be able to interact with the grid demonstrating a future objective of the system to integrate new technologies in the home, business or industry. Finally, the choice of popcorn maker demonstrates the insight of the students to include a sustainable solution in all areas. Little waste is generated in running the appliance, as hungry EcoHawks always need to eat.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
After assembly of the scale grid, the EcoHawks tested all of the components allowing for a systematic methodology in debugging and troubleshooting the system. Both of the renewable sources of energy were successfully implemented with the solar panel proving to be a reliable source of energy, even under less than favorable weather conditions. In hazy weather, the panel produced 18VDC at a range of 1.5 to 2.5A, and successfully charged one lead-acid battery by 0.1VDC in 2 minutes and 30 seconds while charging the other lead-acid battery by 0.18VDC in just under 5 minutes. The wind turbine has an effective efficiency of 16% in 20 mph winds, after applying Betz's Law, which provides sufficient charge in order to maintain battery capacity through float charging.
For proper usage and lifetime of the PHEV/BEV battery pack, the system employs a Battery Management System (BMS). This device demonstrates proper balancing of individual cells promoting the lifetime of the pack ensuring maximum customer return on investment. Moreover, using a relay it provides the ability to charge a pack safely ensuring over-voltage does not occur. In addition, to prevent excessive discharge of the pack, the BMS controls another relay that cuts the power flow when the pack voltage becomes too low. This demonstrates a proof of concept for the eventual conversion to an automated system in replacing the manual switchboard with a series of computer-controlled relays. It also establishes the methodology of using the PHEV/BEV battery pack as a dynamic storage medium where renewable energy can be stored and used without compromising the ability of the vehicle.
Use of renewable energy to power the appliance was proven by running the popcorn maker off the lead acid batteries individually. Experimental data show that popping a full batch of popcorn took 4 minutes for a cool kettle (soaked overnight); whereas, it took 2 minutes and 30 seconds for a pre-heated kettle. During this experiment, the batteries were drained by approximately 0.10 to 0.15VDC per run, entirely dependent on the time taken to test. Unfortunately, the low capacity of the PHEV/BEV batteries tested (3.6Ah) was not able to provide enough power to make a full batch of popcorn; however, it was able to power the appliance for 35 seconds before being shut down by the BMS. Additional testing using the control computer with a lower power draw demonstrates that the PHEV/BEV batteries could power this device for approximately 8 minutes. Future efforts involve adding more capacity to this pack through a parallel cell arrangement along with testing of a similar 90Ah battery targeted for the current GMC Jimmy BEV conversion. This further illustrates the novelty of the phased approach of the EcoHawks program.
The LabVIEW control program and attached sensors were tested for accuracy against a multimeter, and were found to be operating normally and without significant error. The program was able to generate an output value for any AC current flowing within the system in 10 seconds, and can perform the same for a DC current in 1 second. Because of the sinusoidal nature of AC current, a root mean square averaging is utilized to provide a low standard of deviation of the current value. Efforts are under way to investigate available sensors and calculation methodologies to improve this time frequency. All voltages in the energy grid are being measured and validated using a multimeter. Data collection has begun using the main LabVIEW Graphical User Interface (GUI) on an average value basis with sub-GU providing a time-history of the signals.
Conclusions:
The scale smart grid designed and built by the EcoHawks successfully demonstrates the feasibility and potential for intelligent energy management technology to enhance traditional power systems. It incorporates electrified vehicle technologies, solar and wind energy as well as two-way communication between power production and consumption. By tying these entities together, better matching of the energy infrastructure with the supply and demand of power can reduce the use of conventional (fossil fuel, petroleum) power production in favor of renewable resources. This smart grid model implements a control system with the capability to manage the flow of energy to maximize energy efficiency. A large-scale version of the EcoHawks design can act to meet the increasing energy demand without the need to build new power plant facilities. Systems like these are necessary to reduce greenhouse gas and hazardous emissions while prolonging finite fossil fuel resources.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 1 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Depcik C, Hausmann A, Lamb J, Strecker B, Billinger C, Pro W, Gray M. Incorporating sustainable automotive and energy design into the engineering curriculum using remote control cars. International Journal of Engineering Education 2011;27(2):364-379. |
SU834697 (Final) |
Exit Exit |
Supplemental Keywords:
environmental, energy, economic, ethical, sustainability, alternative fuel, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, smart grid, grid, rechargeable, solar, wind, energy technology revolution, interdisciplinary research, fuel conservation, energy efficiency, innovative technologyThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.