USA-Botswana collaborative research towards portable power generation in rural Africa

该项目的重点是研究可再生能源收集的新模式，这对于开发模块化电源在大多数发展中国家，特别是非洲大陆的使用非常有用。 目前，非洲只有20%至23%的人口能用上电。 大部分人口居住在远离城市中心的地方。 只有便携式能源才能满足农村人口的能源需求，至少是部分需求。 参加该计划的本科生和研究生的多元化群体将从事可再生能源收集新概念的研究。 他们将开发将在实地测试的工作模块，目的是生产高效的便携式能源，以改善非洲农村人民的生活。 此外，通过与非洲部落社区的互动获得的文化经验，以及对每个部落的生活方式、社会规则和规范以及他们在日常生活中面临的斗争的了解，将改变他们对世界的看法。 他们的努力将是非常有益的，因为他们将有助于增加这些偏远地区的可再生和便携式发电，这将大大改善世界上落后于标准的那部分人口的生活质量。为了实施该项目，南佛罗里达大学（USF）的PI将与博茨瓦纳国际科技大学（BIUST）的研究人员合作。 在USF完成为期3周的研究计划后，学生将前往博茨瓦纳，并将与BIUST的一批学生合作5周，在那里他们将一起学习，生活，工作和旅行。研究的主要目标是研究热电模块和太阳能设备相结合的可行性，以产生比单个设备更高的电力。 用高塞贝克系数的材料形成的热电模块可以产生高电压，但低电导率导致低电流。 典型的太阳能电池开路电压相对较低，但辐射的高吸收可产生高密度的载流子。 然而，高载流子复合损耗导致低短路电流。 该项目将研究一种新的模式，即利用热电模块回收非洲农村使用的炉灶的废热产生的相对较高的电压（1-4伏），对太阳能电池进行反向偏压，以产生高的光生电流。 高电压、高电流的组合与合适的电路设计相结合，具有增强发电和更有效地对电池或电容器充电的潜力。 其成果将是教育一批研究生和未受过教育的学生了解世界农村社区的能源挑战，并在基础科学的基础上发展创新概念，以解决全球社会的问题。虽然最初的努力是为非洲农村开发一种电源，但这一概念可以扩展到众多的商业产品和军事应用，在这些产品和应用中，当插入电网时可以发电。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project focuses on investigating a new paradigm in renewable energy harvesting that would be of great use for developing modular power source for use in most of the developing world, and specifically for the continent of Africa. Currently only 20-23% of the population in Africa has access to electricity. Large percentage of the population lives far from urban centers. Only portable energy sources will be able to meet, at least partially, the energy needs of rural populations. A diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in this program will engage in research on a novel concept of renewable energy harvesting. They will develop working modules that will be tested in the field with the aim of producing efficient portable energy sources to improve the lives of people living in rural Africa. In addition, the cultural experience gained through interactions with the tribal communities in Africa, and the knowledge gained on the way of life in each tribe, their societal rules and norms, and the struggles they face in day-to-day life, will transform their view of the world. Their efforts will be highly rewarding, as they will be contributing to increase the renewable and portable power generation in these remote areas that will greatly improve the quality of life for the segment of the world population that is lagging behind the norms. To implement the project the PI at the University of South Florida (USF) will collaborate with the researchers at the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST). After completing a 3-week research program at USF, students will travel to Botswana and will team up with a cohort of students at BIUST for a 5-week period where they will learn, live, work, and travel together. The primary goal of research is to study the feasibility of combining thermoelectric modules and solar devices to generate much higher electrical power than what is possible with individual devices. Thermoelectric modules formed with materials of high Seebeck coefficient can produce high voltages but low conductivity that leads to low currents. Typical solar cell open-circuit voltages are relatively low, but high absorption of radiation can generate high density of carriers. However, high carrier recombination losses lead to low short circuit current. This project will investigate a novel paradigm in which the relatively high voltage (1-4 V) produced by the thermoelectric modules from the recovery of waste heat of cooking stoves used in rural Africa will be used to reverse-bias the solar cell for generating a high photo-generated current. The combination of the high voltage, high current, combined with a suitable circuit design, has the potential to enhance power generation and more efficient charging of batteries or capacitors. The outcome will be educating a cohort of graduate and undereducated students on energy challenges of the rural communities in the world, and developing innovative concepts based on fundamental science to resolve issues of the global society. Though the initial effort is to develop a power source for rural Africa, the concept can be extended to multitude of commercial products and military applications where power can be generated when plugging into the power grid is not an option.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.