Mobile Power Supply Challenge (Design area 4.2)

[Ulysses HillParticipant]

Hey,

In the challenge for design area 4.2, the requirements state ‘3-10kwH, would I be correct in assuming that the definition is 3-10kw for one hour, or for example the system should be able to supply 1.5-5kw for 2 hours or 6-20kw for 30min etc.

For example a 150w fridge could be kept powered continously, but a 3kw circular saw could only run for an hour with a 3kwh system.

Or is it suggesting to supply 3-10kw continously every hour for every 24 hour period?

Any clarification would be appreciated!

[Michal CedrychParticipant]

My understanding is that as kWH is a measure of energy (1 kWH equivalent to 3.6 MJ) the system is required to capture and store up to 36 MJ per day. The maximum rate of energy usage is not specified (that is J/s or Watts), so make assumptions based on usage requirements (are you running a LED light or a kettle or a whole house or a whole community?).

[Luke BarbagalloKeymaster]

Hi Ulysses,

In the Design Area description for 4.2, it requests a system that can deliver anything between 3 – 10 kwh per day. When thinking about how this stored power would be used, it is good to refer back to the Bushlight system, and to review what those systems cater for; several lights, fans, basic appliances. However, depending on the amount of stored energy, there are guidelines on how many of these lights/fans/appliances can be utilised simultaneously.

When planning your solution, these are the questions that you should look to answer. For example, if you decide that the trailer can only facilitate a 5kwh storage system, what are the limitations of that system? How long to recharge that battery, and how large will the solar array need to be to accompany that system?
If the system is only 5kwh of stored energy, what activities can the rangers expect to conduct with that power source – just basic lighting, refrigeration, power tools? If there is a solar array that is charging the battery whilst it is in use, what are the implications on use? In your final solution, I’d recommend outlining what usage limitations there are for the system, and providing usage guides, similar to the Bushlight systems.

We’ve just answered another question in this forum that you might find has further useful information – https://ewbchallenge.org/forums/topic/mobile-solar-power-supply/

If you’ve got further questions, please do reach out.

Luke

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