CPUT is going off the grid.

In a bid to become energy efficient, the Center for Distributed Power and Electronics Systems (CDPES) has installed an off-grid solar PV system with battery backup.

The system is a first for CPUT and has the capacity to run five of the center’s laboratories, which are located in the Bellville-based facility housing the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering.

Dr Marco Adonis, deputy head of operations at the CDPES says the new installation will help cut the department’s electricity bill, with potential cost savings expected to be R25000 per annum. It will also contribute towards teaching and learning activities, and complement several of the center’s core research areas, which include energy efficiency, renewable and alternative energy technologies, microgrids and smart grids.

Installed by Solar MD, the system consists of 18 solar PV panels that have been installed on the roof of the new building, as well as a lithium-ion battery bank. The battery bank stores electricity for use on days when there are low solar insolation levels as well as during periods of utility load shedding. The electricity stored will also be put to use during the evening, when lectures on the new Masters in Energy Programme are held and the CDPES postgraduate laboratories are in use.

The installation features a state-of-the-art battery monitoring system and a smart system controller that assists with load management and protection. The system also includes a versatile web-based monitoring system.

“This feature allows the remote monitoring of the system parameters, analysis of the system performance and enables generation of real-time or historical comprehensive reports on site’s energy production, energy savings and technical status,” says Adonis.

Kaloyan Dimnov, Director of Solar MD, says the solar PV panels are easy to maintain and has a lifespan of more than 25 years.

Click here for more information on the CDPES.

Written by Candes Keating
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.

Over the course of the next few months, the Center for Distributed Power and Electronics Systems (CDPES) headed by Prof Mohamed Kahn, will set up a renewable energy systems simulator facility, which will be the first of its kind in South Africa and the only one on the African continent.

The high-tech facility is funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) to the tune of R15 million, and is part of their coveted National Equipment Programme. This programme provides universities with substantial funding support to purchase new equipment with the aim of improving research, innovation, training and collaboration in a bid to address South Africa’s research priorities.

Dr Marco Adonis, Deputy Head of Operations at the centre, says the facility will enhance their current research activities, especially in the area of developing power conversions for renewable energy sources as well as their exploration of interconnectivity of distributed resources with microgrids and electric power systems.

Adonis says while some institutions have simulators, CPUT will be the first university in South Africa to install a simulation system, which will allow researchers to simulate a wide range of conditions related to power and electronics systems.

Over the past few years, simulators have gained popularity in the field of research, innovation and teaching. The primary advantage of such systems are that they allow users to design and test real world systems, without having to construct costly prototypes. They have also become valuable teaching tools in various disciplines.

The new facility will also create vast opportunities for regional and national collaboration, with the CDPES set to work on various projects with researchers from the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch.

Projects will be linked to national priorities as well as tie in with the CDPES research areas, which includes energy efficiency, renewable and alternative energy technology, distributed energy system technology, predictive control of power converters and electrical drives as well as MEMS energy sensor technology.

Adonis says the facility will be based at the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, which is housed on the Bellville Campus. The building is the largest research and teaching facility at CPUT and houses several other leading engineering research centers.

For more information on the CDPES see: http://www.cput.ac.za/academic/faculties/engineering/research/centre-for-distributed-power-and-electronic-systems-cdpes

Written by Candes Keating
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Provides coverage for the Engineering and Applied Sciences Faculties; the Bellville and Wellington Campuses, and research and innovation news.