Motor Design, Operation, and Control

2007 Solar Decathlon (year 2)

Trishan Esram with adviser Patrick L. Chapman

Figure 10 UIUC Solar Decathlon house.

The UIUC Solar Decathlon house (Figure 10) is nearing completion and is slowly taking the shape of the predicted house, a rendering of which is shown in Figure 11. The interior electrical wiring of the house is scheduled to be finished by the end of July. The exterior wiring of the photovoltaic (PV) modules and batteries will start as soon as the supporting structures are mounted on the roof of the house and the battery box is constructed. All the other electrical components (inverters, charge controllers, etc.) are currently being mounted inside the electrical compartment of the house.

Once all components are in place and the house is fully wired, the electrical system will be tested. Different load configurations will be investigated and the different contests of the decathlon will be carefully studied. Based on the outcomes of these studies and weather predictions, strategies will be set up to efficiently use the available energy from the PV modules and batteries. The goals are to have a fully-functional house and score the maximum points in the decathlon, which takes place on October 12–20, 2007, on the National Mall, in Washington, D.C.

This project was supported by the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

Read the Year 1 report about the Solar Decathalon.

Figure 11 Rendering of the UIUC Solar Decathlon house.