Electrical engineering students create a portable energy model for Duke Energy
Hardin Kennedy and Ben Griffith with their portable energy model
By Matt Salerno
Ben Griffith and Hardin Kennedy, two seniors majoring in electrical engineering at 蘑菇短视频, have created a portable educational model for Duke Energy.
It all started when Jerry DeWeese, an engineer for Duke Energy, approached Tarek Kandil, assistant professor in WCU's College of Engineering and Technology, about creating a digital model that demonstrated the energy demands of the power grid.
DeWeese asked for something that would allow him to talk about the power grid to everyone from elementary students to the board of county commissioners.
Kandil shared the project concept with Griffith and Kennedy, who got to work, using their technical know how to create a collapsible display depicting eighteen videos that show various types of power plants owned by Duke Energy.
A mixture of live video feeds and still images show hydro, solar, nuclear, coal, and combine-cycle power plants. Graphs accompany each video feed, with one data set showing the base energy needs of the power grid and another showing the power plants' energy output. Anyone watching these feeds can see each power source鈥檚 ability to meet energy needs throughout the day.
More than just educating the public on how power gets to their homes, the model highlights the need for innovation.
鈥淭he entire electric industry is sitting on a huge challenge that bright minds are going to have to solve,鈥� Griffith said. 鈥淭he reliability of electricity is one of the top concerns of the future and Duke Energy can use this display to educate the public, inspire future engineers, and even train new employees.鈥�
The energy sector is accomplishing amazing feats of engineering and Griffith and Kennedy like the challenge that power utilities pose. Making sure enough energy is created to hit a moving target, the ebb and flow of energy consumption changes from minute to minute.
The solar power plant took a huge dip in energy output in the middle of the day where Kennedy noted a storm blew in. The wind energy is far from constant, mirroring the inability to rely on a constant and steady breeze.
鈥淭he feed of Bad Creek Power Station highlights the possibility for pump-storage hydro as a viable power source,鈥� Kennedy said. 鈥淚t works like regular hydro-electric power except it uses excess power generated to fill a reservoir at a higher elevation. This reservoir works like a battery and whenever energy is needed, the reservoir is released, and its movement generates more electricity.鈥�
Conventional hydro poses problems like dammed rivers stopping fish migrations and pollutants being introduced to a river. It has also reached a ceiling in the United States as there are only so many rivers that can be dammed and have their energy harnessed. The educational model shows how pump-storage hydro and nuclear can provide the answers to energy production.
When asked what advice they would give future undergraduate researchers,
Griffith and Kennedy echoed the importance of finding a mentor who is just as passionate as you are.
鈥淒r. Kandil with his background in the power utility industry was extremely helpful,鈥� said Griffith.
The project helped set them up for their senior capstone while also better preparing them for the workforce. Griffith and Kennedy will be presenting at WCU鈥檚 Research and Scholarship Conference this coming March and have also been accepted to present their findings at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research in Pittsburg in April.
This research project was made possible through an Academic Project grant that gave them the ability to disseminate their research.
Beyond these conferences, Kennedy has accepted a job working for Duke Energy and Griffith is hoping his internship with the Tennessee Valley Authority will turn into his first job out of college.
