Micro-Systems for Power Systems and Low Loss Conductors

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The proposed research is in the area of micro-systems with application to Smart Grid, hybrid ac/dc power technologies, and microgrid utility networks. The Smart Grid is a broad concept, which includes integration of sensors throughout the electrical distribution grid. This modernization of the electricity network has several aspects and goals, including intelligent monitoring of power flow and grid infrastructure, increased reliability, and reduced cost. The Smart Grid effort has several driving forces. Recent weather events (heat waves, ice storms) have demonstrated the public safety need for emergency resilience. Outages and power quality issues cost North American businesses more than $100 billion per year. Existing grid infrastructure is ever more stressed, due to increasing energy demand and increasing costs to deploy new infrastructure. Alternative energy sources are being added, with some sources such as wind and solar not having continuous delivery capability. The hybrid ac/dc power grid is an evolutionary transition, involving combined ac and dc networks in local installations, to maximize efficiency by reducing the need for lossy ac/dc power conversion. Hybrid networks are being driven by many forces, including dc alternative energy sources (photovoltaic, high efficiency wind turbines, battery and fuel cell storage), solid state LED lighting, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics which run on dc power. Local microgrid utility networks offer fine control of loads and generators, enabling greater reliability, cost reduction, and energy source diversification. Solid state transformers offer microgrid networks important performance benefits and small size when operating at kHz frequencies. However, high current applications require an intermediate 60 Hz stage to prevent increased resistive losses caused by skin effect on conductors, adding to their cost.