“Why are offshore wind companies looking to expand into energy storage?”
The Wind Energy industry is making massive investments into energy storage, and the offshore sector is no exception. In Northern Europe and the Northeastern United States, where the brunt of the offshore market is located, winter time can bring incredibly low temperatures, which make people consume more energy by turning on heaters. By adding battery storage to the offshore wind, this increased demand can be readily satisfied and everyone will be able to stay warm in the winter!
“What were the predecessors of battery storage systems?”
Although battery storage is all the rage nowadays, there is an older predecessor to handle extra demand on the grid. These machines were like power plants, except that they only came on in times of need! They were called peaker plants, and their electricity tends to be more expensive due to their off-cycle nature.
Wind energy has long been one of the reigning champions of renewable energy. However, during peak generation, much of the new power made goes wasted. So how can we use our engineering mindsets to solve this problem? Well, if we take a page from the recent developments in Solar+Storage Systems, and attach battery systems to wind farms? This is known as Wind-Plus-Storage and is one of the hottest topics in renewable energy in 2018.
How Microgrids Can Help Communities Recover From Disasters
03/23/18
“How can we use microgrids to help communities recover from natural disasters?”
Communities all over the world are in danger of natural disasters. Whether it be the fires in California or the hurricane that recently Puerto Rico. However, how can we use our engineering mindset to help people endure these mishaps? Well, one of the most common problems with natural disasters is electricity generation or lack thereof. But with the advent of distributed resources and microgrids, communities can create their own energy and even sell it to one another! Therefore, distributed resources and microgrids to help communities recover from natural disasters.
Water is one of the most vital parts of human life. Whether it be for quenching our thirst, cooking our food, or running our industrial processes, water is somewhere to be found. However, in many communities around the world, not only safe drinking water difficult to come by but also access to electricity. So how can we use our engineering mindset to solve both of these problems in a sustainable manner? Well, what if we were to use a solar panel to power an electrolysis device? This way, we can purify water anywhere we are at a low cost. This process is known as Solar Water Disinfection and is a smart method to help solve access to clean water.
Vacuums are some of the most important phenomena in modern day engineering and physical science research. By being able to measure them, we can determine what is and what is not a vacuum. One way to do this is by using a hot-filament ionization gauge. Hot-filament ionization gauges work by running electrons through a wire coil, which are then attracted to a central grid. These electrons will collide with gas molecules and will ionize. A measurement of the amount of ionization will tell us how many molecules are in the vacuum, and therefore what percentage of the surrounding medium is a vacuum.
Thermocouples are very useful for measuring temperature differences due to their quick response times and low costs. However, in order to operate accurately, they must be connected to a zero degree reference point. So how can we use our engineering knowledge to solve this? Well, what if we were to simply connect the thermocouple leads to copper wires in ice water. These would create reference junctions in which the thermocouple leads would be compared against values at 0 degrees Celsius. This system calibrates the thermocouples to much greater accuracy, but extra care must be taken.
“Can we control the conductivity of a circuit with Voltage?”
When working with electrical systems, sometimes we may want the conductivity of an element to change for different applications. However, how can we do that without doing too much work? Well, let’s use our engineering mindset to think of a solution. First, let’s build a semiconductor with two n-type depletion layers that are disconnected from each other by a p-type substrate. Then let’s position a metallic “gate” near to the two n-type inversion layers. Finally, let’s put a current source to one and a drain to the other. When we apply an electrical voltage to the gate, negative particles from the positive substrate will be pulled in its direction and p-type pushed out. This will create a bridge between the two n-type regions, and allow current to pass through. The more voltage applied, the more current can be passed. If no voltage is applied, then no current can pass! This device is known as a metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistor, or MOSFET for short. MOSFETs are some of the most used components in electronics and can be found everywhere from microcontrollers to voltage amplifiers.
When working with high-precision machinery, we often want to be able to turn a screw in a very controlled manner. However, doing so manually is quite a complicated task. So how can we use our engineering mindset to solve this problem? Well, let’s start with some mechatronic theory. We know that if we energize a motor, it will move rotationally. And if it does so in a belt-train system, then the entire system will move. Furthermore, if we attach a piezo on the lower chain, then it can push back in response to pressure. So what if we were to combine all of these aspects into one unified system? Well, we would then obtain a very useful engineering instrument known as a picomotor, and can be found in precision motion devices everywhere.
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