Autonomous Energy System; Scalable, Flexible, Light and Low Cost – part 2
Nowadays the most rewarding aspect of engineering is to create solutions to the needs of society in a natural and resource efficient manner, therefore we must come up with more innovative and resource efficient solutions. One such solution can be a novel scalable autonomous energy system, which integrates Organic (polymer) based photovoltaics (OPVs), high density Polymer Energy Storage (PES) devices, and their Integrated Circuit (IC) interface all as a System-in-Package unit. OPV and PES cells are thin, light, and flexible technologies that have the potential to be used for such energy system at low cost. The IC interface manages charging of PES cells from the harvesting energy provided by OPV cells and regulates such power for the target applications. For the scalability of the system, the configuration of the cells (both OPV and PES) will be optimized using statistical analysis based on experimental resultsand characterization of the cells. This project will build on innovations made by our research team over the past year in the area of organic electronics, continuing on with characterization and development of models, which needs research at both device and system level. This scalable autonomous energy system can potentially provide power in a wider range for either small hand-hold devices or scaled up to large buildings and facilities. Environmental and economic sustainability are two important factors that drive the need for such technology in Canada (also around the world). The excessive use of fossil fuel is linked to anomalous changes in climate; technology for efficient renewable energy production will reduce Canada’s environmental footprint. In addition, the soaring cost of fossil fuels impacts Canadian industry and quality of life. Novel, cost-effective energy production and storage technology will attain economic sustainability. We propose to harvest and store solar energy, the most environmentally friendly and risk free source of energy, via a novel, cost-effective integrated energy system.
