Economy and calculations If 4 million households are provided with smart power cells, the total price of generators, all equipment and software will be equal to the nuclear power station price. Actually, the power is also approximately the same. *Data book According to electricity tariff in the USA ( $/kWh), if such power cell with a power of 10 kW every day during 6 hours transmits energy to the power grid, its owner will have an income of $ in a year. That is all investments will have been returned less than in 5 years. *Data book According to the feed-in tariff in Europe (0.42 $/kWh), pay-back period is only one year. *Data book Problems and assumptions Nowadays development of renewable energy sources follows two different pathways: 1. Construction of high-powered stations, based on renewable sources of energy. Problems: Such stations occupy vast areas. May interfere in our lives (e.g. wind mills). Have problem with energy accumulation and storage. Require construction of the new power lines and substations. They need maintenance and operating personnel. 2. Usage of renewable energy sources in private households. Problems: Existing devices don’t offer integrated solving for the problem of energy generation, accumulation, conversion and informational link between each consumption point and energy supply provider. Such energy generation is uncontrolled, devices unbalance grid in peak time. Hypothesis Amount of renewable energy produced in households can be increased significantly only by creation of web-like power nets with informational and energetic synchronization of their elements. Aim of the project To increase % of renewable energy sources without any power network degeneration by implementation of the Internet web based electric grid structure. To develop and test the model of low-cost integrated device (smart power cell) for household bidirectional energetic and informational connection to the power network. To evaluate economy of such device implementation. Existing systems and their disadvantages Cannot unite energy overflows in both directions. Do not protect household from mains network deviations. Don’t have informational connection with other devices and energy supply provider. Can’t create isolated networks with some devices in the event of the main grid collapse. Don’t optimize energy overflows technically and economically. The Idea To connect households to the mains power lines by a special network of integrated devices (the so called smart power cells), which could perform the following tasks: Recieve energy from the power net and supply it to the household with stable parameters. Store harnessed or mains power grid energy (for example in the electric vehicle). Convert energy produced by unstable generators such as solar panels and wind mills. Transmit this green or stored energy to the power grid, to the household and to the smart network depending on technical and economical needs. Implement informational link with energy supplier and other cells for economical and technical optimization. Smart power cells connection to the grid is similar to computers’ connection to the Internet (energy is redistributed as information in the Torrent). How does the system work? Smart power cell consists of three energy sources: mains power network; generator (solar panels, wind or Stirling generator etc.); energy storage (battery, electric vehicle) and two consumers: main power grid and smart house power network. Energy flows are permitted at any direction, in and out of the smart power cell, depending on the system status and economic component, needs and resources. House power network inverter works in one direction – to the house power network. Mains grid inverter transmits energy from either storage or generator to the main power network. Pulse transformer inverter transmits low voltage energy 12V (generator and storage) to high voltage DC energy. All these processes are controlled by microcontroller (including storage charge/discharge) depending on economy (price of energy) or technical (power network stability) demands. Conclusions - Increase of the green power constituent in the main grid is possible by the implementation of the Internet controlled smart cells system. - Tested that on demand some smart power cells may create temporary isolated power systems in the event of the main grid collapse. - Depending on the location suggested system can be integrated with mains power grid or can exist separately. - Such system will increase efficiency and firmness of power net. It will reduce the risk of blackouts, help to spare money on building huge power stations, save natural resources, and prevent environmental pollution by decreasing conventional power stations. - This idea will give rise to new industries and require a large number of qualified personnel. - Process of joining new power cells will improve system functioning. Future project development Experimental part. To create power cell’s samples with a power of 2, 5 and 10 kW. Test them in real life conditions in combination with different types of renewable energy sources. Develop new computer programs to connect power cells with each other and with energy supply provider. Business part. Offer business plans for the project, attract investors and create a state program. ConventionalRenewable *1*2*3*4*5 fhghghghg Mathematical model Smart power cell prototype Smart power cells network Results According to U.S. Energy Information Administration in 2012 References