Description
CIRCUTOR designs and develops equipment and systems of electric measurement, control and regulation. The project consists of the development of an intelligent and self-adaptive system which allows for supplying, managing and optimizing the use of energy coming from renewable sources. This system has to be integrated in a cabinet with adequate dimension for home use (4 KW) and for small companies (20 KW). Therefore, the project seeks to integrate, in a small cabinet, the hardware and software necessary to achieve efficiency optimization system based on maximal consumption from self-generated renewable energy, with network support and battery storage capabilities. In its final phase, prototypes will be assembled for home use, connected or not connected to the grid, to demonstrate their effectiveness. CIRCUTOR collaborates with the Energy Research Centre of Cataluña (IREC) and with the Norwegian company SCANDINAVIAN ELECTRIC AS (SCEL).
Summary of project results
In recent years, Smart Grid macromodels of multisource distributed burst generation and collective accumulation have been defined, with very high power converters and the sharing of the generated power between different users. However, the poor evolution of network infrastructure has led CICRUTOR to steer towards an optimization scheme for intelligent self-consumption at a smaller-scale. This project sought to integrate, in a small footprint cabinet, the hardware and software necessary to achieve efficiency optimization system based on maximal consumption from self-generated renewable energy, with network support and battery storage capabilities. An energy management system has been created that is capable of taking into account and evaluating all relevant variables necessary for managing energy use. Thus, depending on the state of the batteries, the production of energy by the alternative equipment (essentially photovoltaic panels), the availability of electricity network, etc., the system will inform in a given moment to which application energy (in watts) is used: to charge batteries, to feed loads, to reduce solar production, etc. In the same way an interface has been developed that obtains real-time data, both on the desktop of a computer and on a Smartphone screen. In this way the user has at all times the updated information, and can check the operating states of his/her equipment. In addition, it is equipped with data and order registers, in order to be able to use the historical series of the system and to be able to establish past states.Finally, the software and the previously designed hardware were assembled within the mechanical envelope, and 2 pre-series were fabricated to perform the validation tests. These have been satisfactorily overcome, but it has been decided to keep evidence in real situation for full validation. These last tests are extended in time and will be maintained after the end of the project.
Summary of bilateral results
SCEL SCEL has contributed to the project with their knowledge in the project area, the electrical industry. They have participated in the project by overseeing and providing their views on the progress of the project so that this feedback has enriched it. The primary issue for the collaboration component was the number of solar hours available in Norway, and the final product developed does not fit the Norwegian market. However the use of the battery as energy storage is interesting and it is likely that in the near future we can use it in a common project. The use of mini hydraulic turbines adapted to developed product could be interesting, being able to take advantage of the management of batteries as a means of storage as well as the management of flows that is able to make the product developed and always with the participation of the own user as part of the behavior of the system. Thanks to the water sources of Norway, water as a renewable generator is much more stable and predictable than others like the sun or the wind, that presents an stochastic behavior.