Here's Jim Fackerts comment on ARocket list on modern electronics.
I see this "vision" as perhaps just a bit leading edge, but not 
unachievable.

For instance, 95% wall warts may exist, but they are the exception, and to 
get 95% you have to have everything just-so. Optimum load impedance etc. Run 
most such across  arange of loads and the results are good but not that 
good. And while grid tied inverters per PV panel sound marvellous they are 
so far not the norm. and I wonder how their cost effectiveness compares. No 
doubt in almost no time something like this will become the norm. "Would you 
like me to set your panel to 50 Hz output or 60?"

The preceding psosts noted that energy storage systems are often the major 
bottleneck to good use of alternative energy sources. .


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Fackert"
Cc: "Arocket List"
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 8:50 PM
Subject: Re: [AR] Thoughts on SSP?

This is the age of electronics. High efficiency, high frequency, high
power density smart power conversion is so advanced that if you can
conceive and describe a device, you can build it.
SiC power transistors and fets, IGBTs,  high speed scr's and
microprocessors and digital signal processors with such speed that
complex high speed analog processes can be emulated totally digitally.
DSP's are simply astounding in their capability.  Extremely high power
conversion is done routinely in grid management.  Hybrid car systems are
not limited in any way by the electronics, but only by the storage
capacity.
Some simple bloody wall warts are running 95% plus efficiency at mHz
frequencies, fer heavens sakes. Power bricks are commonplace, converting
thousands of watts of power from one voltage to another, ac to dc to ac,
etc. in packages the size of a cigarette pack or two... and thats
standard off the shelf stuff.  1 kw to 20 kw synchronous grid inter-tie
inverters that connect your photovoltaics to the grid, pushing or
pulling power automatically on demand/supply are inexpensive off the
shelf items.

Coolest application for this imho is a small 150 watt grid inter-tie
inverter that creates an integrated photovoltaic system with no DC
distribution, no panel matching or shading issues, etc. Just place one
of these on each panel in an array and tying them all together with
simple 120vac buss that connects all panels together, to the load and to
the grid. Networked monitoring lets you log and examine each panels
performance at any time. Clever.

As Henry says, it's the storage, not the electronics that is limiting
systems.
With the grid efficiently intertieing many small systems, requirement
for storage goes down and storage of any kind, from many smart garages,
flywheel units, hydro pumped storage, whatever works, is easily integrated.


Henry Spencer wrote:
> On Mon, 22 Dec 2008, Paul Breed wrote:
>
>> You can't really use a capacitor for energy storage without sophisticated
>> DC:DC power conversion electronics...
>>
>
> Remember that for electric-utility use, the ultimate goal is AC in and AC
> out, so non-trivial conversion electronics will be needed anyway, and it
> will not be a big deal to make those systems a bit more flexible to handle
> less-than-ideal discharge characteristics.
>
>                                                            Henry Spencer
> 

-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist