Installation of Direct-connected Solar-assisted Building Lighting

Conventional PV energy must be inverter-conditioned to deliver grid-compatible alternating Current (AC), while the utility serves as an infinite energy sink. Economics dictate that solar arrays should be sized as large as possible to provide the most rapid return on investment (ROI). However, PV arrays direct-connected to dedicated Direct Current (DC) loads eliminate the need for AC inversion and disrupt the conventional economic model by enabling PV sizing to meet specific load requirements. Moreover, inverter removal improves total efficiency by eliminating the following four parasitics: 1) idle load, 2) inversion losses, 3) solar threshold losses, and 4) peak power tracker losses.

Since all buildings in the United States are wired for AC. I investigated the feasibility of retrofitting a commercial AC lighting system for direct-connected DC operation using a technology pioneered by Nextek Power Systems, Inc. My project was a collaborative research effort involving UC Irvine’s National Fuel Cell Research Center (NFCRC) and Nextek. I installed Nextek infrastructure and retrofitted half of the florescent lights in the NFCRC visitor gallery to facilitate the test. The other half of the lights were left in AC mode to provide an experimental control. Open design architecture was utilized to allow later addition data monitoring equipment to assess the efficiency of the retrofitted lights as compared against the control. The system was completed in 2004, and it has been operating successfully for 3 years.

Infrastructure for Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell

The NFCRC received a molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) test stand from MC Power Corporation, which was to be used to verify MCFC dynamic modeling simulations under development in the lab. I developed, installed, and maintained the infrastructure supporting the MFCF.

This work included plumbing gas delivery and exhaust systems, building a heat exchanger for the safe disposal of hot off-gas from the fuel cell, and implementing a quick master shut-down system to protect the fuel cell in case of emergencies or power outages. This work culminated in creation of the first standard operating procedure for start-up and safe shut-down of the test stand.

Educational Facility for Ambient Air Monitoring

I created the Educational Facility for Ambient Air Monitoring (EFAAM) to serve as an air quality monitoring station compliant with the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s (SCAQMD) standards. The EFAAM also serves as the main interactive display and point of information for visitors to the NFCRC gallery.

The core of this display is a Horiba 9100 ambient air monitoring console with an environics unit. This system produces ozone and mixes span and challenge gases to enable daily calibration. The software includes passive, active, and interactive displays as well as Internet access.