Month: April 2013

For the experiment brainstorming, we were trying to think of something that we can use the NXT machine but also, an experiment that we had not done before. Since we had been using the NXT machine from the beginning of the class, this experiment that we are doing will show that we had acknowledge this machine. So therefore, our team have came up with the “Coffee Cup Experiment”.

For the Coffee Cup Experiment, we will be needing three different types of materials of coffee cups with containers, NXT temperature sensor, the Labview software, and the LEGO MINDSTORMS education kit. The three type of materials could be plastic, glass, and styrofoam etc. This experiment mainly focuses on which type of material has the better quality on storing the heat. Also, this will help figure out which kind of cup insulates the best but with the lowest cost. However, this might sound easy to work on, but it’s just at the brainstorming stage, it might be tough when you start working on it.

According to Enernoc, demand response is the changes in electric usage by end-use customers from their normal consumption patterns in response to changes in the price of electricity over time, practically speaking, it’s the electricity that cannot be easily stored on a large scale.

As anyone that may not know, electricity isn’t stored in a tank, so when you needed, it’ll be transmitted by the power grid. The demand for electricity is typically much more higher in the afternoon and evenings, also during summer time when people turn on their air conditioners as well. When people are using their electrical appliances at the same time, it’s called “peak usage time”. This will have the possibility for the power to knock out because of everyone using the electricity at the same time. However, one way to decrease the load is by a concept called “demand response”. This program mainly focuses on residential, commercial and industrial consumers the ability to trim the electricity usage at specific time of the day. This will help the consumers to save the high electricity price, not mentioning the help of preventing a blackout.

According to USA Today, blackouts aren’t just inconvenient, it also cost a lot. It has been estimated the 2003 blackout in New York City has caused up to $750 million in lost revenue. That makes the demand response program much more important than it seems. For instance, the system could sense the demand problem and divert or reduce the power in strategic places. With the help of the program, it will increase the potential to help both the provides and consumers to save money.

Will a larger scale demand response systems be more reasonable? Different people have different point of views towards it, therefore, it really depends on the people. However, companies are now stepping in to reduce grid loads by collecting negawatts. A negawatt is the unit of power that is no longer needed and will be selled by the company to use them to reduce the load on the grid.

Another advantage for demand response is the “smart grid”. A smart grid is actually the same as the current grid we use, but it’s just a 21st century version. But comparing these two grids, the current grid has a better advantage. The previous grid is an one way use only grid. For instance, when you turn on the television, it then brings the power. However, for the smart gird, it will be a two-way communication system between provider and consumer. With the contact points, it would automate the flow of electricity it needs, practically speaking, the grid will detect how much power you are using.

Just with these advantages the demand response provides, it clearly shows it’s a more capable and reliable technology to use. Therefore, with the help of demand response, it will definitely help the society on saving the electricity.

 

References:

http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

http://www.enernoc.com/our-resources/term-pages/704-what-is-demand-response

http://www.ecsgrid.com/demand-response-programs/what-is-demand-response-and-how-does-it-work

Even though I was late and didn’t go to the museum with the class, I still manage to get to the museum and find the whole class. I believe this was my second time that went into the museum, however, everything is kind of different to what I remember. The main focus of coming to the science museum this time is to learn more about wind and solar energy. The first department we went to was the Museum of Wind Lab. 

As you may not know, the purpose of a turbine is to convert the air into electricity with it’s spinning blades. In this department, we notice that this is an laboratory that is for monitoring local wind conditions and the wind power generation datas. The lab also contained many historical informations, not to mention the wind turbines that people had made. An example would be the Swift Rooftop Wind Energy System. 

Later, we learned about storing energy, and the example that we used is the Beacon Power Corporation, located in Tyngsboro MA. The main purpose of this system is they can transform the electricity into mechanical energy, which in other word, making it much more easy to store it. We also learned that when the power plant produces more electricity than it asked for, the electricity that is left will make the flywheel spin faster. On the other hand, if the consumer requires more electricity, the motor will become an electrical generator.

In conclusion, going to the museum this time was a great experience since we are learning the similar things in class. This will help us have a better understanding because there’s an actual model that we can learn about it.