UCF researcher receives $3.8 million grant to develop a photo voltaic power storage system
by Marisa Ramiccio for UCF Information
Orlando FL (SPX) Dec 16, 2024
Photo voltaic power could also be ample within the scorching and muggy local weather of Florida, however it may be intermittent throughout inclement climate and inconsistent through the evening or peak utilization.
To maintain the ability grid dependable, UCF Division of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Affiliate Professor Like Li is creating a novel power storage system that may reserve photo voltaic power for future use. The challenge is supported by way of a three-year, $3.8 million grant from the U.S. Division of Vitality Photo voltaic Vitality Applied sciences Workplace.
“The purpose is to contribute to the worldwide transition to wash power and to attain web zero carbon emissions by 2050,” Li says. “With a purpose to meet that purpose, there’s loads of effort to make use of renewable power for the decarbonization of the ability grid and numerous industrial processes.”
Li will work with engineers from Sandia Nationwide Laboratories, Oregon State College, the College of Houston and Redoxblox, a startup that makes a speciality of low emission power storage models. Collectively, they’ll develop a thermochemical power storage (TCES) system, which makes use of chemical reactions to both soak up or launch warmth for the respective charging and discharging steps.
The excessive temperature warmth for the charging step will likely be from the concentrating solar-thermal energy (CSP). It may also be charged by electrical furnaces powered by any sort of renewable power resembling photo voltaic panels or wind energy. A TCES system can retailer a considerable amount of power at very excessive temperatures for much less cash, making it advantageous. The excessive temperature warmth launched throughout discharging can be utilized to drive high-efficiency energy cycles or as course of warmth for a variety of commercial processes.
Li and his crew have been utilizing computational modeling and lab-scale reactor testing to design a photo voltaic receiver and chemical reactor. As soon as the elements are fabricated, they’ll conduct demos at Sandia utilizing daylight and a photo voltaic furnace.
“These demos are vital as a result of the expertise is new,” Li says. “Most TCES reactors are at lab scales, our purpose is to exhibit an built-in TCES system coupled with CSP underneath actual circumstances.”
The demos are additionally vital to the postdocs and graduate college students in Li’s lab, who can have the chance to journey to Sandia to help with the testing. He says this can be a nice probability for them to work with trade professionals, acquire analysis expertise and doubtlessly discover future job alternatives.
The work also can profit corporations in Orlando which have a vested desirous about thermal power storage, resembling Siemens or Duke Vitality.
“Now is an important time in historical past to redefine a cheap power storage system to attain power decarbonization,” Li says. “If we are able to exhibit that functionality, we are able to apply our analysis and demos and appeal to consideration that may result in fruitful collaborations sooner or later, particularly once we begin to scale up these power storage programs.”
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University of Central Florida
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