Any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy project?

Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
- wireless communications
- data gets sent to a website
- SMS messaging
Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!

On Aug 17, 10:22=A0pm, Alex <usha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
> - wireless communications
> - data gets sent to a website
> - SMS messaging
> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!



Maybe create some sensor boards to monitor central heat/A/C and it's
motors/compressors. Another for your refrigerator and it's compressor.
Track, set warning thresholds etc. for out-of-norm operation. Maybe
add 'docking' of your car and upload data from it at the end of
everyday?

Or create a lawn watering system that tracks wind/humidity/insolation
and ground moisture. Maybe find some way to add precipitation
forecasts to aid in its decision making.

Alex expounded in news:4d220f9d-0536-46e5-8265-e2e28b2fba50
@v41g2000yqv.googlegroups.com:

> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
> - wireless communications
> - data gets sent to a website
> - SMS messaging
> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!

One idea I've had, would be to use a MCU to control the
input to an automotive alternator, used in a wind generator. 
When the wind dies down below a threshold, you want to cut the 
rotor input power, since you're not going to get anything back.
When it picks up, apply some input power to help it "generate".

Beyond the threshold test, the MCU could adjust input power levels to the 
rotor to maximize the output generation. If the wind is weak, then you 
need to supply less of a field. But to get more out of a strong wind, 
you could add more rotor input power.

Now of course you need to store that "juice" in batteries, and having 
your alternator generating peak output will probably be bad for your 
battery(ies) if they're fully charged already. So some sort of battery 
management would also be required.

Warren

In comp.arch.embedded,
Warren <ve3wwg@gmail.com> wrote:
> Alex expounded in news:4d220f9d-0536-46e5-8265-e2e28b2fba50
> @v41g2000yqv.googlegroups.com:
>
>> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
>> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
>> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
>> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
>> - wireless communications
>> - data gets sent to a website
>> - SMS messaging
>> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
>> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!
>
> One idea I've had, would be to use a MCU to control the
> input to an automotive alternator, used in a wind generator. 
> When the wind dies down below a threshold, you want to cut the 
> rotor input power, since you're not going to get anything back.
> When it picks up, apply some input power to help it "generate".
>
> Beyond the threshold test, the MCU could adjust input power levels to the 
> rotor to maximize the output generation. If the wind is weak, then you 
> need to supply less of a field. But to get more out of a strong wind, 
> you could add more rotor input power.
>
To avoid this hassle, wind turbines often use permanent magnet rotors. :-)
It's also more power efficient (no exictation) and less wear (no brushes)
Car alternators can be modified to permanent magnet.

> Now of course you need to store that "juice" in batteries, and having 
> your alternator generating peak output will probably be bad for your 
> battery(ies) if they're fully charged already. So some sort of battery 
> management would also be required.

Yes, battery management is a must, that could be your project.


-- 
Stef    (remove caps, dashes and .invalid from e-mail address to reply by mail)

It's sweet to be remembered, but it's often cheaper to be forgotten.

On 08/17/2010 08:22 PM, Alex wrote:
> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
> - wireless communications
> - data gets sent to a website
> - SMS messaging
> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!

My inner Diogenes wants to say that any manager who's ditzy enough to 
think that working on some random "green" project is going to qualify 
you to work on his _specific_ "green" project is a manager who's too 
ditzy for me.

But maybe you have to get your resume through HR first, or you just want 
to do a "green" project.

Isn't there any product you've always wanted, but never had?

I'd like a programmable house fan that comes on whenever the inside of 
my house is farther away from some target temperature than the outside 
of the house, to provide mostly-passive climate control.  Basically it 
would be something that mechanizes "open the windows tonight, dear, and 
we won't have to run the air conditioner tomorrow".

I think they're made already, but there's little that you could do 
that's not made already, so you can't let that be a barrier.

-- 

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

Tim Wescott wrote:
> On 08/17/2010 08:22 PM, Alex wrote:
>> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
>> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
>> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
>> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
>> - wireless communications
>> - data gets sent to a website
>> - SMS messaging
>> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
>> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!
>
> My inner Diogenes wants to say that any manager who's ditzy enough to
> think that working on some random "green" project is going to qualify
> you to work on his _specific_ "green" project is a manager who's too
> ditzy for me.
>
> But maybe you have to get your resume through HR first, or you just want
> to do a "green" project.
>
> Isn't there any product you've always wanted, but never had?
>
> I'd like a programmable house fan that comes on whenever the inside of
> my house is farther away from some target temperature than the outside
> of the house, to provide mostly-passive climate control. Basically it
> would be something that mechanizes "open the windows tonight, dear, and
> we won't have to run the air conditioner tomorrow".
>
> I think they're made already, but there's little that you could do
> that's not made already, so you can't let that be a barrier.

I'd like an intelligent lawn watering system.

Something that would sense soil moisture content,
ambient temperature and humidity, and the presence
of a car in the driveway and then adjust sprinkler on
time and duration appropriately.

On 08/24/2010 10:05 AM, Jim Stewart wrote:
> Tim Wescott wrote:
>> On 08/17/2010 08:22 PM, Alex wrote:
>>> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
>>> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
>>> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
>>> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
>>> - wireless communications
>>> - data gets sent to a website
>>> - SMS messaging
>>> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
>>> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!
>>
>> My inner Diogenes wants to say that any manager who's ditzy enough to
>> think that working on some random "green" project is going to qualify
>> you to work on his _specific_ "green" project is a manager who's too
>> ditzy for me.
>>
>> But maybe you have to get your resume through HR first, or you just want
>> to do a "green" project.
>>
>> Isn't there any product you've always wanted, but never had?
>>
>> I'd like a programmable house fan that comes on whenever the inside of
>> my house is farther away from some target temperature than the outside
>> of the house, to provide mostly-passive climate control. Basically it
>> would be something that mechanizes "open the windows tonight, dear, and
>> we won't have to run the air conditioner tomorrow".
>>
>> I think they're made already, but there's little that you could do
>> that's not made already, so you can't let that be a barrier.
>
> I'd like an intelligent lawn watering system.
>
> Something that would sense soil moisture content,
> ambient temperature and humidity, and the presence
> of a car in the driveway and then adjust sprinkler on
> time and duration appropriately.

Better yet, detect if the guy in the car is a traveling salesman, or 
"the other man" and if so, turn the sprinkler on just as he gets out...

-- 

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Do you need to implement control loops in software?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" was written for you.
See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

On Aug 18, 5:22=A0am, Alex <usha...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Does anyone have any ideas for an embedded renewable/energy related
> project? I want to do something at home so I can put it on my resume
> and try to enter this field, after a LONG hiatus. Type away with what
> you got. I thought it would be good for me to include these aspects:
> - wireless communications
> - data gets sent to a website
> - SMS messaging
> Yea, stuff like that. If you've had any ideas relating to renewable-
> energy related embedded projects, please share them. Thankyou!

How about a contraption that squeezes the maximum power out of solar
panels by setting the best operating point on the current insolation's
UI curve?

Hello Victor,
>How about a contraption that squeezes the maximum power out of solar
>panels by setting the best operating point on the current insolation's
>UI curve?
do you happen to have links to whatever is currently considered the
best algorithm(s) to achieve this?
Thanks
M'

On Aug 25, 11:07=A0am, Michael Keith <mjke...@gmx.de> wrote:
> Hello Victor,>How about a contraption that squeezes the maximum power out=
 of solar
> >panels by setting the best operating point on the current insolation's
> >UI curve?
>
> do you happen to have links to whatever is currently considered the
> best algorithm(s) to achieve this?
> Thanks
> M'

I think the simple way is by changing the current of the panel up or
down, measuring the resultant U and I, comparing U*I to the previous
value and then either changing the direction of the next delta_I or
not.
Basically, you keep making small hops along the UI curve. That's all I
know.

I've wanted to do this for ages, just haven't found the time.