Grantee Research Project Results

Selective Source AC/DC Power Supply

EPA Grant Number: SU836040
Title: Selective Source AC/DC Power Supply
Investigators: Kimball, Jonathan , Brennan, Cory Joseph , Murdock, Austin , Brannon, Benjamin , Wright, Charles , Clucas, Dominic , Pahl, Jason , Gualdoni, Mathew
Current Investigators: Kimball, Jonathan , Wright, Charles , Patnaik, Abhishek , Kashyap, Amshumaan Raghunatha , Rayachoti, Anagha , Irigoyen, Alberto Berrueta , Ahmadi, Reza
Institution: Missouri University of Science and Technology
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: I
Project Period: August 15, 2011 through August 14, 2012
Project Amount: $14,430
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2011) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Air Quality , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

This project will improve the efficiency of power delivery from a renewable source to a DC load. The proposed approach is to use a power converter that can direct DC power from a renewable source directly to a DC load, or supplement available DC power from a high-efficiency rectifier.

Approach:

All electronic loads require a direct current (DC) power source to function, and utilize rectifying power supplies to convert from the more transmission-efficient alternating current (AC). Buildings incorporating renewable sources such as wind and solar generate a supply of DC when the resource is available. This project will investigate a power supply capable of delivering DC power regardless of the renewable resource availability, without large battery banks. This power supply will take a feed directly from the renewable DC source as well as from the grid’s AC source. Internal circuitry will select to pull power only from the DC source and output directly to the loads when renewable power is available, and provide ancillary DC power via an active rectifier powered from the grid as the renewable source cycles off. This design prevents the inefficiencies associated with renewable DC being inverted to AC and rectified back to DC for each appliance

Expected Results:

This project will result in a prototype that will allow people and businesses to improve the efficiencies of photovoltaic products that they already own. The final prototype will be tested to quantify efficiency gain. This data will be analyzed to calculate the product’s payback period. Simulations will be conducted to identify large inefficiencies in the prototype to be targeted in further research

Supplemental Keywords:

Cost Benefit Assessment, Alternative Energy Source, Renewable Energy, Solar Energy, DC Power;

Progress and Final Reports:

Final Report