The
International
2003
Future Energy Challenge
A
student competition sponsored by the
Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers (IEEE) - Power Electronics Society, Industry Applications Society, and Power
Engineering Society
by the U.S. Department of
Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense
and other sponsors
Additional
specification elements added or edited after July 15, 2002.




Summary of changes after July 15, 2002 (no changes were made between May 2 and
July 15, 2002):
Topic (c) is no longer active
because of limited proposal submissions.
A version of this topic will be present in the 2005 FEC.
Firmer dates have been listed for
the final competition events and the February workshop.
Clarification to output
requirements for topic (a) has been provided.
Additional clarification to
output requirements for topic (a) added, November 2002.
Summary of
changes, April 15 through final posting on May 2:
Topic (c) included in detail.
Topic (a) minor revisions to the
target mass (increased to 30 kg) and to provide a consistent volume limit (88.5
L). The minimum efficiency is now 90%,
although scoring will be arranged so that there are extra benefits to achieving
the prior target of 94%.
Clarifications added in certain
places such as the output power specification for topic (a) and the input power
sources for topic (c).
Two sponsors (FTC and the
Grainger Center) have been added.
Teams should plan to submit an
electronic version (PDF format) of their proposal with the printed copies. Electronic versions will help to expedite
the review process.
Summary of Competition and Proposal
Requirements
General Information
Competition Title: 2003 International Future Energy
Challenge student Competition
Topic areas: (a) Fuel cell energy
conversion, (b) Single-phase adjustable-speed motors, and (c) Low-cost power
for developing nations.
Period of Competition: August 1, 2002
to July 31, 2003
Challenge Award
At least
US$10,000 (and up to US$50,000, based on sponsorship) will be awarded for
highest score among entries meeting all minimum requirements, as confirmed
through reports and hardware tests.
Program Awards (actual number depends on availability)
Best in specific
topic areas (engineering design, reports, and others): expected levels are $3,000 to $5,000
each. The final amounts are subject to
the recommendations of the judges.
Intellectual Property and Use of Prize Money
The Future
Energy Challenge does not restrict the use or protection of inventions or other
intellectual property produced by participating teams. There are no special licenses or rights
required by the sponsors. However, the
Final Test Events that begin May 19, 2003 will include public disclosure of
each team’s technology. Teams
interested in securing protection for their inventions should be aware of this
date when making arrangements.
The prizes
provided to schools are intended to benefit the team members and student team
design project activities. There is a
Letter of Support required for submission with the proposal, and it should
outline the plans of the school in the event that a prize is received.
Outside Support
Individual
schools should solicit project funding from NASEO, utilities, manufacturers,
government agencies, or other sources.
There is no limitation for the sources of project funding.
Eligibility Information:
To confirm eligibility, potential participating schools must submit a Letter of Support together with a Preliminary Team Information Form when they submit the proposal.
How to Participate: Participation is on a proposal basis. Those schools that have submitted a Letter of Intent must submit a proposal no later than May 31, 2002. Proposals will be judged by a distinguished panel of volunteer experts from the IEEE and from industry. Schools with successful proposals will be notified by August 1, 2002. Student teams will then carry out the work and prepare hardware prototypes and reports. Preliminary reports are due March 15, 2003. The reports will be judged by a similar expert panel. The panel will select a small group of teams as Finalists. These teams will be invited to a competition event that will begin May 18, 2003. A Final Report will be due at the competition event. The team achieving the best overall results that meet all the requirements will receive a Challenge Award of no less than US$10,000 (and up to US$50,000 based on sponsorship levels). The best results in individual categories, including engineering design, engineering report quality, innovation, and other categories to be determined, will win special monetary prizes of approximately $3,000 to $5,000 each.
Please be aware that each of the three topic areas
of the 2003 Future Energy Challenge will be judged separately, against a
separate specification set. Each team
proposal must address a single topic area.
Judging Panels
Experts from
IEEE Power Electronics Society, Industry Applications Society, Power
Engineering Society(and others to be announced), and representatives from
manufacturers, national labs, independent test labs, utilities, and R&D
engineers.
Judging
Student team
project results will be judged based on cost effectiveness, performance,
quality of the prototype and other results, engineering reports, adherence to
rules and deadlines, innovation, future promise, and related criteria. Each aspect of judging will be scored
according to a point list and Test Protocol published in the 2003 Future Energy
Challenge Rules.
Proposals
Proposals will
be judged on the quality of plans, the likelihood that a team will be
successful in meeting the Future Energy Challenge objectives, technical and
production feasibility and degree of innovation. Other key criteria are evidence of the school's commitment,
capability, experience, and resources to implement their design over the
one-year span of the competition. Commitment to excellence in undergraduate
education is important, and acceptable proposals will involve undergraduate
students as the primary team members. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged. Graduate students are not
excluded, but the impact on undergraduate education is a critical judging
criterion. Proposals are limited to 12
double-spaced pages total, including all diagrams, attachments, and
appendixes. Schools that are invited to
participate in 2003 Future Energy Challenge are expected to adhere to the basic
plans described in their proposals.
Approval of the competition organizers must be sought for significant
changes in plans or engineering designs.
Only one proposal per topic will be considered for any school, but each
topic requires a separate proposal and team.
Eleven copies of the proposals are due, to be received by May 31,
2002, at the mailing address provided below.
A. Proposal
Objectives
Respondents
should express their ideas and plans relevant to their interested topic
area. The project should include the
construction and operation of a complete hardware prototype. The proposal must address both technical and
organizational issues for each phase of the prototype’s development and
testing. It must contain a realistic
project budget, along with a plan to secure the necessary funding. The educational goals, including any course
credit provided for work related to 2003 Future Energy Challenge, and how the
project relates to other efforts within the school and at the regional or
national level should be addressed. A
Letter of Support from an official of the school confirming a commitment to
participate in the competition, and stating the type(s) and level of support
for the team's participation in the competition should be attached, and is not
counted toward the 12-page limit. Refer
to the attachments at the end of this document for a sample.
B. Administrative
Considerations and Limitations
This section describes the
limitations placed on the proposal.
Compliance is mandatory.
Language Proposals must be written in English.
Length
Proposals are
limited to 12 single-sided double-spaced pages of text, figures, and
appendixes. The page size must be
8.5" x 11" or A4 and the font size must be no smaller than 10
point. Margins should be at least 25
mm. The Preliminary Team Information
form (Attachment 1 in this RFP), support letters from the school, government
entities, or private sector organizations will not count in the proposal
length.
Authors Proposals are to be prepared by
the student team in collaboration with the faculty advisors.
Signatures Proposals must be signed by all authors
of the proposal and the faculty advisor.
Letter
of Support Proposals must
be accompanied by a letter of support from an appropriate Dean, Department
Chair, or other authorized school official.
The letter must confirm the school’s commitment to participate. It must also state the type(s) and value of
support from the institution. School
support should match the value of cash and in-kind support from the team's
principal sponsors. Additional letters
of support from other team sponsors are optional. A sample is provided as Attachment 2.
Preliminary
Team Data Submit one copy
of the Preliminary Team Information form (Attachment 1) with the proposal, then
an updated copy with the preliminary report to the address below. This form does not count in the 12 page
limit.
Due
Date All proposals must
be received at the address below by close of business on May 31, 2002
for full consideration.
Number
of Copies Ten bound copies
and one unbound copy of the proposal must be sent to:
Administrative
Secretary Fax: (310)
446-8390
IEEE Power
Electronics Society E-mail: bob.myers@ieee.org
IEEE
Industry Applications Society
Los Angeles, CA 90077
We would also prefer to have an
electronic copy, in PDF format, delivered on floppy disk (IBM format) or CD
with the proposal copies.
For Information
Non-technical or
administrative questions should be directed to Mr. Robert Myers, bob.myers@ieee.org. Technical questions should be directed to
the Future Energy Challenge Organizing Committee. The Chair is Prof. Jo Howze, Texas A&M University,
howze@ee.tamu.edu. The Vice-Chair is
Prof. Fang Peng, Michigan State University, fzpeng@egr.msu.edu. The competition website is http://www.energychallenge.org;
this final version of this RFP will be posted on the website.
Time Schedule
April 8,
2002 - schools submit letter of
intent
April 15,
2002 - Request for Proposals (RFP) sent
(electronically) to schools that provide a Letter of Intent
April 15-30,
2002 – RFP is available for comments and questions from potential teams, and
subject to editing in response to comments.
(Final official RFP posted May 2, 2002.)
May 31,
2002 - proposals due
August 1,
2002 - schools informed of
acceptance into competition
February 9-13,
2003 - Future Energy Challenge
Workshop will be held during the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference,
Miami Beach, Florida, USA. See
http://www.apec-conf.org for conference information
March 15,
2003 - preliminary reports due
April 15,
2003 - finalists notified
May 18, 2003 –
final competition: reception in
Morgantown, WV for topic (a) participants
May 19-22, 2003
– final competition events for topic (a).
Final reports due.
May 21-24, 2003
– final competition events for topic (b).
Final reports due.
July, 2003 - awards ceremony at 2003 PES general meeting
Competition
Description
Scope: An international student competition for innovation,
conservation, and effective use of electrical energy. The competition is open to college and university student teams
from recognized engineering programs in any location. Participation is on a proposal basis.
Introduction: In 2001, the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE), in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials
(NASEO), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the
Department of Defense (DOD) and other sponsors, organized the first Future
Energy Challenge competition. The
objective was to build prototype, low-cost inverters to support fuel cell power
systems. This competition was
originally open to schools in North America with accredited engineering
programs. The 2001 Future Energy
Challenge focused on the emerging field of distributed electricity generation
systems, seeking to dramatically improve the design and reduce the cost of
dc-ac inverters and interface systems for use in distributed generation
systems. The objectives were to design
elegant, manufacturable systems that would reduce the costs of commercial
interface systems by at least 50% and, thereby, accelerate the deployment of
distributed generation systems in homes and buildings. The 2001 Challenge was a success, and is now
the first in a biannual series of energy-based student team design
competitions.
To continue and
expand the 2001 success, the 2003 Future Energy Challenge has been organized as
a worldwide student competition. The
theme of the 2003 Future Energy Challenge is "Energy Challenge in the
Home." The objective is to
introduce engineering design innovations that can demonstrate dramatic
reductions in residential electricity consumption from utility sources or that
can lead to the best use of electricity in newly connected homes in developing
nations. The innovations should be low
in cost, and should have broad potential for the future.
Topics and
Descriptions: The
competition addresses three broad topic areas: (a) fuel cell energy conversion,
(b) single-phase adjustable-speed motors, and (c) low-cost power for developing
nations, respectively described as follows:
a)
Energy
processing to support the use of solid-oxide fuel cells to provide non-utility
and ultra-clean residential electricity.
The US Department of Energy and Department of Defense have agreed to
provide prize money for substantial cost reductions in inverter technology for
such sources. The target cost is less
than US$40/kW for a 10 kW inverter interface system (not including an electric
grid interface nor the battery). The
hardware prototypes judged as best will be tested in a fuel cell system at the
DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory. The school with the most
cost-effective design and that can meet or exceed the aggressive cost target,
and that provides a fully functional prototype, will be awarded with a large
prize.
b)
Innovations
in motors and motor drive systems that produce deep cuts in losses and costs
for home (appliance) use, or that could replace “universal motor” brush
machines in residential applications.
For example, use three-phase motors and motor drives that operate from
single-phase power, reduce appliance in-rush currents associated with motor
starting, and enhance motor efficiency across a wide load range are of
interest. Target hardware costs are
US$40 for a combination motor and motor controller that can operate from a
single-phase residential source, deliver rated shaft load of 3/4 HP (or 500 W)
at 1500 RPM, exhibit a useful speed control range of at least 150 RPM to 5000
RPM, and provide power efficiency of at least 70% for loads ranging from 50 W
to 500 W at a specified speed. The hardware prototypes judged as best will be
tested at a DOE or DOD National Laboratory. The school with the most
cost-effective design and that can meet or exceed the aggressive cost target, and
that provides a fully functional prototype, will be awarded with a large prize.
c)
Efficient,
cost-effective electrification for homes in developing nations. This involves low-cost local energy sources,
and emphasizes innovations to allow small amounts of power to make significant
impacts on standards of living. The
target system addresses ways to produce and use a power-limited 100 W
source. The objectives are to prepare a
cost-effective low energy source, and to improve the quality of life in the
most effective manner for a household if just a small power level is
available. The system involves the
design of small, low-cost, self-contained solar, wind, or other non-fuel power
systems (plus any energy storage), capable of delivering 100 W over several hours
at costs in the range of US$0.10/kWhr to US$0.20/kWhr when amortized over a
required ten-year life. The system
should provide for prioritized control of three different domestic loads. Entries and prototypes will be judged with
the assistance of the Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, U.S.
Department of Defense, or through arrangements with government or scientific
facilities in other nations.
Detailed
Description, Proposal Preparation and Specifications of Each Topic
Request for
Proposals – Topic (a) Fuel cell energy conversion
The main goal of the Fuel Cell Inverter Challenge is to develop low-cost power processing systems that support the commercialization of a solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power generation system to provide non-utility and ultra-clean residential electricity. For residential applications, the 5 kW SOFC is supplemented with a 5 kW battery set to meet extended-duration power-demand periods exceeding 5 kW and short-duration transient high power loads. Thus the target inverter rating is 10 kW. The US Department of Energy and Department of Defense have agreed to provide prize money for substantial cost reductions in inverter technology for such sources. The competition runs under the auspices of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, the IEEE Industrial Applications Society, The IEEE Power Engineering Society and the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society.
The target cost of a stand-alone, i.e. non-utility linked, 10 kW power processing unit should be less than US$40/kW for the inverter interface system when produced at large quantities. Emphasis is also placed on high-energy efficiency as this has direct impact of size and cost of the SOFC system and overall system fuel efficiency. The hardware prototypes judged as best will be tested first in a fuel cell emulator and subsequently in a fuel cell system at the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory. The fuel cell system will be provided by Fuel Cell Technologies, Ltd. The school with the most cost-effective design, which meets or exceeds the aggressive cost target, and provides a fully functional prototype, will be awarded with a large prize. In the event that multiple designs meet the specification requirements, and are judged to be comparable on a cost basis, the Challenge Award will be given to the design with the best energy efficiency.
Vision
Encourage the development of
technologies to reduce the cost of inverters (power processors) that are
designed for domestic
energy sources.
Incorporate practicality, potential manufacturability, and affordability into the competition assessment process.
Demonstrate technical progress
toward and potential of advanced technologies that may help achieve the goals
of this competition.
Improve engineering education and
foster practical learning through the development of innovative team-based
engineering solutions to complex technical problems.
Goals
Construct an
inverter that will:
Reduce the manufacturing cost to
less than $40/kW per unit;
Achieve maximum efficiency;
Achieve minimal size and weight
requirements;
Minimize cooling requirements;
and,
Develop a power processing system
which realizes acceptability of fuel cell energy systems in the areas of
performance (in steady state and under dynamic conditions), reliability and
safety.
The inverter
proposed will be judged against a set of objectives, requirements and
characteristics given below. The
inverter design concept should target a 10 kW (peak) residential power
generation system with 5 kW from an SOFC and 5 kW from a battery set. During overload the system draws 5 kW from fuel cell and 5 kW
from battery for max. 1 min. To cope
with the slow dynamic response of the fuel cell, the 48 V battery pack is also
used as a secondary energy source to supply transient loads. A 48 V battery pack as described in the
following minimum requirements will be provided at the competition test
site. Student teams may elect and
propose to provide this 5 kW of supplemental power by some other means. If a team elects to do so, then the team
will be responsible for providing their own supplemental 5 kW power source in
time to support testing at the competition test site. The fuel cell needs auxiliary power to run
its internal circuits, such as balance-of-plant and control sub-systems. This load is 1 kW and has to be managed by
the inverter as well. The target design requirements for the 10 kW system given below
are minimums that need to be reached to win the Challenge Award of $50,000.
Design concepts must be validated with working prototypes. Scoring will be set up such that
improvements beyond the minimums are beneficial to the team, with
significant weight on energy efficiency. More detail will be published in the
official 2003 Future Energy Challenge Rules.
|
Design Item |
Minimum
Target Requirement 10 kW System |
|
|
1. Manufacturing cost |
Less than US$40/kW for the 10 kW design in high-volume
production. |
|
|
2. Complete package size |
A convenient shape with volume less than 88.5 dm3 (88.5 L). |
|
|
3. Complete package weight |
Mass less than 30 kg, not including energy source (SOFC) or
auxiliary energy storage batteries1. |
|
|
4. Output
power capability – nominal Output power capability – overload Current limit (short circuit) |
5 kW continuous, total (5 kW continuous @ displacement factor 0.7,
leading or lagging, max. from each phase) 10 kW overload for 1 minute (half of input from fuel cell and
half from battery1 supply) @ d.f. 0.7 (lead or lag). 5 kW @ 0.7 d.f. max. from each phase. Notice that the phase maximum
requirements are the same under continuous and overload conditions. Unit shall shut down if the output current exceeds 110 % of
maximum rated value. Teams may select
either to continue supplying current or to shut down for currents >100%
and <110%. |
|
|
5. Auxiliary power feed for fuel cell control unit |
Unit
shall provide an additional NEMA 5-15R outlet to supply 120 Vac/60 Hz for the
fuel cell control unit. The load will
not exceed 1 kVA, and the displacement factor will not be less than 0.7. This outlet can be connected to either of
the output phases, or can be separate at the team’s discretion. This load is counted as part of the total
inverter output load for testing purposes. Unit
shall provide a connection to supply 48 V dc, +/- 2.5%, for the fuel cell
control unit. The load will not
exceed 300 W. This 48 V auxiliary
supply will be used in conjunction with the fuel cell, and electrically the
low side is connected to the negative terminal of the fuel cell. There is no requirement for electrical
isolation with respect to the fuel cell, provided the common connection is
supported. Total
power supplied to these additional outputs is included in the 5 kW
continuous and 10 kW overload maximum output. |
|
|
6. Phase(s) |
Split single-phase, for US domestic ac supply with standard NEMA
5-15R receptacles for loads "2 degrees for
balanced loads between phases. Please
provide at least four outlets per phase to support tests up to 5 kW per
phase. |
|
|
7. Output voltage |
120 V/240 V nominal (split-phase). |
|
|
8. Output frequency |
60 Hz ± 0.1 Hz. |
|
|
9. Output voltage harmonic quality |
Output voltage total harmonic distortion (THD): less than 5%
when supplying a standard nonlinear test load (Test Considerations to be
provided later). |
|
|
10. Output voltage regulation quality |
Output voltage tolerance no wider than ±6% over the
full allowed line voltage and temperature range, from no-load to full-load. |
|
|
11. Input source (SOFC) |
22-41 VDC, 29 VDC nominal, 275 A max. from fuel cell. |
|
|
12. Maximum input current ripple |
3% rms of rated current |
|
|
13. Battery auxiliary power1 |
48 V dc nom. +10%-20%, with nominal rating of 500
Whr. Battery can be used as a
temporary energy source (5kW peak equivalent at the output, 1 min.) as well
as for control power. Charging and
charge management must be provided, such that charge is unchanged at the end
of a 24 hour test sequence. |
|
|
14. Overall energy efficiency |
Higher than 90% for 5.0 kW resistive load with minimal
efficiency degradation up to peak power and down to minimum power. Additional scoring points will be awarded
for efficiencies higher than 90%. |
|
|
15. Protection |
Over current, over voltage, short circuit, over temperature, and
under voltage. No damage caused by
output short circuit. The inverter
must shut down if the input voltage dips below the minimum input. IEEE Std. 929 is a useful reference. |
|
|
16. Electromagnetic interference |
Per FCC 18 Class A -- industrial requirements for conducted and
radiated EMI. |
|
|
17. Safety |
The final rules will contain detailed safety information. No live electrical elements are to be
exposed when the unit is fully configured. The system is intended for safe,
routine use in a home or small business by non-technical customers. Industry
safety standards will be required, such as UL 1741-2000. |
|
|
18. Grid and source interaction |
None. The inverter is intended as a stand-alone unit for remote
power or backup power. |
|
|
19. Communication interface |
Control communication between fuel cell and inverter is through
RS232—see Table 1, below. Standard
commercial software to be provided by the team to the test lab for acquiring
any inverter internal data and recording it via a conventional spreadsheet. |
|
|
20. Environment |
Suitable for indoor or outdoor installation in domestic
applications. |
|
|
21. Storage temperature range |
-20 to 85 °C |
|
|
22. Operating ambient temperature range |
0 to 40 °C |
|
|
23. Other ambient |
Humidity less than or equal to 95% up to 25 °C Less than or equal to 75% at temp. above 25 °C up to 40 °C |
|
|
24. Enclosure type (suggested) |
NEMA 1 |
|
|
25. Cooling |