Hello fellow bloggers, hope you all had a great week! I was finally able to wrap up all my interviews and get the tour of the solar facility at Intel. I have now finished researching current inverters and all the ways to modernize them into smart inverters. The next step is to analyze the inverter and microprocessor/controller markets and figure out how Intel can get involved. So far, I have identified the main competitors to Intel (AKA microprocessor manufacturers): Texas Instruments, FreeScale, Microchip, NXP, Renesas Technology Corp, STMicroelectronics. Each of these companies produces their own designs and models that set them apart from the rest. It is my job to identify these unique qualities and report these innovation to Intel, who can then build on them. I have also isolated the inverter manufacturers (the companies that Intel would sell their microchips to): ABB, Delta Energy Systems, Enphase Energy, General Electrics Energy, Huawei, Schneider Electric, SMA, SolarBridge Technologies (SunPower), and Sungrow. Of course, both the competitors and consumers lists are not complete, but they rather contain the major companies.

A difficulty that has arisen in regards to the marketing research is that we have no clue which microcontrollers companies are used by the inverter manufacturing companies. For example, does ABB use Texas Instrument’s or FreeScale’s or Microchip’s etc microcontrollers. After learning the specifics of each inverter company and their components, I will evaluate the current national and global market  size in order to advise Intel on how many to create and at what price to sell.

Aside from inverter manufacturing and market analysis, I am also focusing on energy storage in regards to the solar energy generated by solar panels and converted by inverters. In order to do so, I have to study the background of different types of batteries (for example, Lithium ion vs. Nickel Cadmium) and recommend which are more efficient for different residences and industries. Something amazing about harnessing the sun for solar energy is that when you have an excess of energy, you can sell it back to the utility at market price. Furthermore, if you would rather not sell the energy, you can store it and use it when there is no energy source (such as night time or during a storm).

That’s it for today and thanks for stopping by! I only have a few more weeks of research before I should be able to finalize my presentation!

Hello all! Hope you've all had wonderful weeks (and spring breaks if applicable). I am very happy to say I celebrated my 18th birthday this week and had an amazing time. I also celebrated Chaharshanbe Soori (Festival of Fire). This festival, which is held on the last Tuesday before Persian New Year (tomorrow), promotes bring good fortune and spirits into your life while casting away the bad ones. We all come together with food and joy and jump over fires. Jumping over the fires symbolizes giving away bad spirits from the past year while gaining the bright spirits from the fire for the year to come.

I don't have too much to talk about since my adviser has been out of town this week and I have been working on translating all my information into my presentation, which I will be presenting at the end of the year. I will use this post to explain more of Intel's role in the process of smart inverter production. Intel itself is not manufacturing the smart inverters. They will be providing specific parts (microprocessors and micrcontrollers) that aren't required by the inverter, but will improve them.

Currently, inverters have one profile: constant-leveled AC-DC conversion. The microcontrollers and microprocessors will allow inverters to have multiple profiles, meaning that the inverter will have different commands throughout the day. The ideal profile transitions would occur at different time periods based on the family. For example, energy conversion would be completely minimized after people go to work/school. Families with children can have energy conversion increase when their kids come home and continue to rise for when they come home from work. Moreover, the profiles can change on day to day bases (i.e., weekend days would keep energy conversion constant).

The other functionality of the microprocessors/controllers is the convenience they can bring to their customers. Customers will be allowed to connect to the inverters through the cellphones, tablets, computers, etc to control the energy levels. So if someone decides to take a sick day, the homeowner does not have to reset the controls, but instead can manually adjust the energy conversion for the day. These new devices are what will lead technologies beyond inverters to a new "smart" generation.

That's it for this week and thank you for reading the summary of my project. My adviser will come back next week and I will conduct more interviews and have a tour of the solar facility at Intel. Have a wonderful week!

Signing off,
Kayvon Tadj

Hello! Hope everyone had a wonderful week!

Before I start speaking about what I've learned about inverters, I would like to share a valuable lesson I learned about the real world. I had 5 interviews lined up for this week, but only two of them happened (the other three postponed to next week). My supervisor didn't seem bothered by it and said it happened, but I had never considered this. Not a huge deal though! I have just had to improvise my week to week plan some in order to stay on track! I've learned that plans get changed and it's much easier to adapt than to attempt to stick to the original plan.

Concerning inverters, I learned a lot from my interviews. Last week I mentioned a problem with grid tie inverters: I haven't been able to find a way for a batteryless inverter to work while the grid shuts down. However, I learned that his does not have to do with a manufacturing or electrical problem. The reason I had a difficult time finding a solution is that there was no problem to begin with. It is completely possible to do this, but there is no point. If the grid shuts down and there is no battery backup, the ENTIRE house must then run on solar energy. At this point in time, most houses are not efficient enough to use such an inverter, and therefore, we must have a battery backup.

The main goal of the new generation of smart inverters need to be connectable and commutative. And this is exactly where Intel comes in. Intel is a microprocessor/microcontroller company, so their role would not be to create the actual inverter, but rather give processors and controllers to the manufacturer. The goal is to have inverters that can be monitored by both the energy consumer (resident) and producer (energy company). This will allow both to minimize energy waste during off-peak hours, and spread energy more efficiently during peak hours (meaning cheaper energy). Intel can also provide software that can connect the inverter to your phone, computer, tablet, etc. so you can have a constant control of it.

Finally, smart inverters must have more than one profile. Currently, an inverter simply converts DC to AC, all day every day. However, by implementing multiple profiles, the inverter can convert more or less energy when required. For example, the inverter can be programmed to not convert as much energy while nobody is home so energy is not constantly consumed.

I have already made so much progress through just 2 interviews, I cannot wait for the remaining ones. Thanks for stopping by and see you soon!

Signing off
Kayvon Tadj