Digital Commons Network^™

Software-Defined Infrastructure For Iot-Based Energy Systems, Stephen Lee

Doctoral Dissertations

Internet of Things (IoT) devices are becoming an essential part of our everyday lives. These physical devices are connected to the internet and can measure or control the environment around us. Further, IoT devices are increasingly being used to monitor buildings, farms, health, and transportation. As these connected devices become more pervasive, these devices will generate vast amounts of data that can be used to gain insights and build intelligence into the system. At the same time, large-scale deployment of these devices will raise new challenges in efficiently managing and controlling them. In this thesis, I argue that the IoT …

Wireless Rf Induced Energy Absorption And Heating Of Lanthanum-Nickel Alloy In The Near-Field, Michael Dillon Lindsay

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis will investigate whether and how a synthetic metal-magnetic alloy absorbs enough near-field electromagnetic (EM) radiation for heating. Although resistive elements could be used for indirect heating, a wireless radio frequency (RF) method is explored because of its advantages in its non-intrusive nature and its ability to direct or focus energy within a specific area. For our case, the RF heating process relies on the materials ability to absorb sufficient RF energy due to the induced currents. We expect there to be significant surface resistance due to the conductivity and magnetic permeability of the material and thus heat. This …

Swarm Behavior To Mitigate Rebound In Air Conditioning Demand Response Events, Jason Yasuto Kuwada

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) have shown great potential for Demand Response (DR) events. However, it has been commonly seen that DR events using TCLs may cause demand rebound, especially in homogeneous populations. To further explore the potential for DR events, as well as the negative effects, a stability and resilience analysis were performed on multiple populations and verified with agent based modeling simulations.

At the core of this study is an added thermostat criterion created from the combination of a proportional gain and the average compressor operating state of neighboring TCLs. Where DR events in TCLs are commonly controlled by …

Energy Transformation And Conservation Investigation, Mike Jackson, Holly Haney

High School Lesson Plans

Students will use a thermoelectric generator module to analyze the relationship between thermal and electrical energies. Using data collection sensors and analysis software, students will investigate the relationship between the temperature gradient across a thermoelectric generator module and the resulting electrical potential. Students will then use their data and analysis to solve problems relating to waste thermal energy in electrical systems and communicate their work to their peers and teacher.

Effects Of Disorder On Thermoelectric Properties Of Semiconducting Polymers, Zlatan Aksamija, Dhandapani Venkataraman, Connor J. Boyle, Meenakshi Upadhyaya

Zlatan Aksamija

Open Source Low-Cost Power Monitoring System, Shane W. Oberloier, Joshua M. Pearce

Joshua M. Pearce

This study presents an entirely open-source, low-cost power monitoring system capable of many types of measurements including both loads and supplies such as solar photovoltaic systems. In addition, the system can be fabricated using only open source software and hardware. The design revolves around the Digital Universal Energy Logger (DUEL) Node, which is responsible for reading and properly scaling the voltage and current of a particular load, and then serializing it via an on-board ATTiny85 chip. The configuration of the DUEL node allows for custom sensitivity ranges, and can handle up to 50 A and 300 V. Up to 127 …

Microgrid Renewable Energy Integration, Do Quang Thanh Vo

Electrical Engineering

The Microgrid is a small-scale electrical system that is designed to give Cal Poly students hands-on experience on power generation, system protection, distribution, and automation that would otherwise be very difficult to experiment in a large-scale model.

To closely replicate the modern electrical grid, a renewable energy source shall be added to the Microgrid in conjunction with the existing synchronous generators. Electrical engineering student, Virginia Yan initiated this effort, namely Grid-Tied Solar System project [1], by designing and constructing a set of solar panels and microinverter for future connection to the Microgrid. The scope of Virginia’s project was, however, limited …

An Analysis Of Energy Transitions At Different Scales: Fossil Fuel Divestment In Higher Education And Individual Behavior, Elizabeth Palchak

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

A sociotechnical energy transition requires both a shift to new technologies and attention to social issues like political movements, policy and human behavior. This dissertation investigates social elements of the renewable energy transition occurring at different scales. The core research questions are: How are universities creating and responding to the shifting language of fossil fuel investments? How and for whom do behavioral interventions work? And finally, do in-home displays (IHDs) change behaviors and attitudes of millennial energy users?

The three studies covered here occurred within higher education and reflect the importance of colleges and universities as dynamic players in energy …