Organic molecules are useful in creating flexible electronics that conform to different surface shapes. They can also be designed to cover large surface areas by starting with a small pre-wired electronic circuit that is then “stretched” to cover the desired surface. This project used such stretchable organic electronic devices to create networked sensors that were embedded in a carbon fiber composite for potential applications in carbon fiber airplanes. This can make such aircraft safer, in addition to saving fuel costs by adopting more light weight carbon fiber vehicles.
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Concentration of sunlight on a solar cell can increase the cell’s efficiency. One possibility is to use sun-tracking devices with the concentrator, but such trackers are expensive. Alternatively lenses with specialized geometry can be used to guide and concentrate light. This project focused on designing optics that require minimal sun tracking by using genetic algorithms to optimize not just the lens shapes but also the lens material composition in three dimensions. This aims to reduce the cost of solar tracking and to make solar cells more efficient.
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Raytrace example of one of the lenses |
Reducing the need for peaking power plants can help in mitigating CO2 emissions. One way to do this is by using stored energy to meet the peak energy demand. Battery-embedded light fixtures were investigated as a promising solution for energy storage integration in commercial buildings that can offer flexible and cost-effective demand-side energy and power management. This project focuses on designing a tool for optimizing the integration of battery storage devices within light fixtures to provide intelligent lighting solutions that are compatible with a smart grid. The model takes into account the tiered pricing system of the energy and power used, as designated by the electric utilities according to the seasons and time of day. Convex optimization methods were implemented in this tool to minimize the cost of the electric bill and to optimize the capacity of the battery integrated within each light fixture. Assuming a realistic set of battery parameters, the model revealed four distinct regimes of operation for the light fixtures, ranging from fully battery-powered to fully grid-powered as well as mixed modes of operation. Future work includes incorporating dynamic demand response sensing and renewable energy on site generation and storage.
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