1、 Session M1E Work in Progress - Integration of Hands-On- Laboratory Experience of Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Applications Eduardo I. Ortiz-Rivera, Member IEEE, and Marcel J. Castro-Sitiriche, Member IEEE University of Puerto Rico-Mayagez, Eduardo.Ortizece.uprm.edu, Marcel.Castroece.uprm.
2、edu Abstract This work-in-progress presents the research and educational activities designed to create a synergy related to aspects of the power electronics laboratory experience using alternative energy, and dissemination of knowledge related to the impact of renewable energy as part of the solutio
3、n to achieve a sustainable future & economy for the society, as well as to the national security based on the reality and needs of Puerto Rico. The work-in-progress is focused on two areas: 1) Integration of hands-on laboratory experiences with undergraduate power electronics courses and renewable e
4、nergy applications 2) Undergraduate research experience on power electronics and systems with selected power electronics topologies for renewable applications with a special focus to the reality of a geographical region (for our case Puerto Rico). Finally, its also intended with this paper to create
5、 an interest in other academic institutions about the importance and need of an electrical engineering program which should include power electronics, renewable energy, and lab experience as part of their curriculum for the benefit of their countries. Index Terms - Educational technology, laboratori
6、es, power electronics, solar energy, thermoelectric energy. INTRODUCTION The current changes in the worldwide markets are making a large impact in our daily lives. The cost of oil is rising and the reserves are decreasing every day. Also, dramatic demographic changes are impacting the feasibility of
7、 the electric infrastructure and eventually the economic future of the industry. As well, the reduction of CO2 emissions plays an important role in the production of electric energy. These are some of the reasons that many countries are looking to integrate renewable energy sources as part of their
8、public policy to produce electricity in a sustainable way 1. But any energy plan which involves changes to the electrical infrastructure and its public policy would require a well trained workforce with special knowledge in traditional power systems, power electronics topologies, and available types
9、 of renewable energy sources. For any country, to have a well trained engineering force, their academic institutions play a critical role in their development. It is why today for any regular student (and potential employer) is not sufficient to have theoretical courses； but also it is necessary som
10、e practical experience! As part of this effort, the authors of this work has incorporated a strategy based on the integration of hands on laboratory experience to attract and train properly ECE students in the areas of power electronics (PELS), renewable energy and undergraduate research. WHY HANDS
11、ON EXPERIENCE IS SO IMPORTANT? It is well known that good laboratory experiences increase the interest of students in an area by connecting the theory to practice facilitating an active learning process 2. An interesting strategy have been developing at University of Puerto Rico in Mayagez (UPRMs) E
12、CE Department to have a well trained engineering force with a focus on renewable energy and its related aspects, specifically by the Mathematical Modeling and Control of Renewable Energy for the Advance in the Technology and Education (Minds2CREATE) Research Team lead by Dr. Eduardo I. Ortiz-Rivera.
13、 The integration of theoretical courses with hands on laboratory experience specifically in power electronics and renewable energy applications has been the main focal point for the Minds2CREATE Research Team 3. The main objective of this strategy is essentially to prepare the best engineering workf
14、orce to satisfy the required energy needs of a country or a region without sacrifice its future sustainability. The presented laboratory experiences have a potential to reach 100 students a year in Power Electronics basic undergraduate course, 60 undergraduate students in advance courses in addition
15、 to those doing undergraduate research. This experience have a tremendous impact in the large amount of Electrical Engineering students that graduate every year from concentrations related to power electronics (around 100 students per year) at UPRM. At UPRM, the Minds2CREATE Research Team has been p
16、reparing ECE students in the areas of renewable energy and power electronics for power system applications based on the geographical reality of Puerto Rico. To obtain the theoretical expertise, the ECE students interested in these areas, are required to take a series of courses with focus on renewab
17、le energy and power electronics. Figure 1 illustrate the required ECE courses for the under level. Each course is designed with the fundamental knowledge required for a proper understanding of power electronics and its application to renewable energy. ACTIVITIES FOR HANDS-ON-LABORATORY EXPERIENCE To
18、 have the proper courses based on the reality of Puerto Rico, it is not enough to obtain a proper education on power electronic and renewable energy! Session M1E Experimental Set-up FIGURE 1 PELS UNDERGRADUATE OPTION WITH FOCUS ON RENEWABLE ENERGY. Thats why, the integration of a hands on laboratory
19、 experiences to these courses is fundamental to attract new students and increase their interest to do research in engineering. In the long run, these steps are the ones that provide the base for advance graduate education. The activities related to hands on laboratory experience are incorporated wi
20、th other educational components such as theory, simulations, and real-life engineering problems offered in the courses. An example of the experiments for the students hands-on-experience is decribed: 1) Electrical characterization of proton exchange fuel cells For this experimental work, the student
21、 will use a low power PEM fuel cell interconnected with a dc-dc converter and a variable resistive load. It is required that the student should learn how to use a PEM fuel cell, design the required components for the dc-dc converter, simulate and construct a prototype to control the power and curren
22、t by a fuel cell. 2) Mathematical modeling of PV modules for MPPT control This experiment involve concepts related to optimal control and the characterization of PVMs using nonlinear models. For this task the student will learn how to understand a PV datasheet and to use this data to charaterize a s
23、olar panel. The theoretical values will be compared with the PVM experimental values using a software tool previsouly designed 1. Finally, the student will connect the PVMs to a boost converter to extract the PVMs maximum power. 3) Desing and prototype of a three phase Z-Source inverter For the real
24、ization of this experiment, it is required that the student should understand concepts like three phase systems, Pulse-Width-Modulation, Z-source, and inverters. To design the inverter, the student is required to use software tools like PSIM, SABER, Matlab, etc. At the Power Electronics Systems (PEL
25、S) lab, the students will construct a prototype FIGURE 2 ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND CONTROL OF PEM FUEL CELL. will appeal to a wide range of areas at the University of Puerto Rico. Some of the advantages to study different types of renewable energies in Puerto Rico are excellent tropical weathe
26、r conditions, constant wind conditions in the mountain regions, year-round sunny conditions, and all of them in a single place. Finally, this project has been successful given that Puerto Rico has an excellent location in the Caribbean, active research of new technologies related to renewable energy
27、, an excellent place for the education of engineers, and interest of the students for business opportunities in the island as future entrepreneurs. PROJECT STATUS The research group has successfully disseminated the work through 5 publications in various journals and conferences. Twelve undergraduat
28、e students have been doing hands-on laboratory based research during the past year. Currently, we are bringing together representatives from the various industries related to renewable energy to identify specific workforce skills. Specifically, we are in the process of convening an advisory board gr
29、oup charged with refining and implementing the process for involving a wider collaboration between the industry and the academy at PR. This board will make recommendations to the group related to areas of need, potential for innovation, funding sources and crucial long term partnerships. ACKNOWLEDGM
30、ENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the contributions of all the members that belong to the Mathematical Modeling and Control of Renewable Energies for Advance Technology & Education (Minds2CREATE) Research Team at UPRM. including topology selection, heat sink, insulated-gate bipolar transistor (
31、IGBT) selection & transformer/inductor construction 3. EXPECTED FUTURE FOR THE STUDENTS AND PUERTO RICO It is expected that at the end of the student academic career, the student will have a breadth of relevant power electronic topologies useful for renewable sources, knowledge in the characterizati
32、on of the available renewable energies in the geographic region of Puerto Rico, familiarity about public policy related to energy and the agencies for their use & regulation with their societal/economical issues, all of which 3 M1E-2 进行中的 工程 电力电子技术和可再生能源 实验 课程 的一体化 摘 要 这个正在进行的工作 展现了研究工作和教育活动在利用可替代能源
33、的电力电子实验室和 可再生能源作为未来经济和社会获得可持续发展的解决方案和基于波多黎各国家实际需要的重要影响的散布推广。 这项正在进行的工作主要集中在两个方面： 1）电力电子本科生课程实验室的实践操作的集成以及可再生能源的应用。 2）本科生关于选定对于可再生能源在一个真实地理区域（例如我们的情况 波多黎各 ）的应用的电力电子拓扑的研究经验。最后，作为我们这篇论文的一个目的，我们希望可以使其他学术 机构注意到对于一个电力工程的教学大纲，增加包括电力电子学、可再生能源、和实验教学的课程对于他们国家益处的重要性以及必须性。 关键词： 教学工艺、实验室、电力电子学、太阳能、 热能 引 言 当今世界范围
34、内市场的变化给我们的日常生活带来了巨大的影响。油价每天都在涨，但存储量每天都在下降。同时，人口统计的变化会影响电力设施的可行性，并最终影响到工业在经济上的未来。而且，二氧化碳排放量的减少为电力设备的生产提供了帮助。这就是为什么那么 多国家希望集合可再生能源作为他们用持续发展方式发电的作为他们国家 政策的一部分。 但是 ，任何改变电力基本设备的计划和它的国家政策都需要有着传统电力系统、电力电子拓扑结构和可行性的可再生能源方面专业知识的熟练劳动工人。对于任何国家来说，他们的专业机构对于使这个国家具有良好专业知识的熟练劳动工人都扮演着十分重要的角色。这就是对于现在普通的学生（潜在的雇员）只学理论课程并不够的原因；同时，一些实践操作的实验也是必须的！为了达到这个目的，作者做的工作是把一些实际操作实验的一体化策略加入，以吸引和培养合适的电力电子、可再生能源和本科研究领域的 ECE 学生。 为什么实际操作实验如此重要？
