ME 428 Energy Storage: Technology & Design
Reducing global warming and carbon emission have increased the adoption of Solar and Wind renewable electric power. This has resulted in Solar and Wind energy costs being lowered to match conventional fossil fuel electric power plant acquisition and operating costs. It is also recognized that adding energy storage to renewable solar and wind systems insures maximum energy utilization.
The course introduces energy storage systems, their storage technology, design, operation and integration issues with the electric grid. The course begins with a brief overview of home and commercial energy-electricity usage. Typical renewable wind and solar systems are then introduced along with different types of energy storage such as pumped hydro, electric storage batteries, hydrogen fuel generation, desalination of seawater, etc. The students work with statistical models used to estimate the variation in wind and solar energy. Typical application case studies are presented. The case studies include an estimate of the required energy and the estimated solar and wind rated output. The operational situation is then analyzed to estimate the actual power output considering the variability of a given location. Finally, an energy storage system is selected based on the renewable energy, kWh rating, as well as life cycle economics that include return on investment (ROI) and the levelized cost of electricity (LCE) with and without energy storage.
In addition to homework assignments and exams, the students will prepare a design study to demonstrate the advantages of renewable energy storage
Cross Listed Courses
ME 428 &
ME 528