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

 

Request for Proposals         Initial posting April 15, 2002.  Revised based on comments, and updated April 19, 2002  Updates to topic (c), April 25, 2002.  Final updates (minor corrections) May 2,2002.

Additional specification elements added or edited after July 15, 2002.

 

 

Full Proposal Deadline: May 31, 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Topic (c) is no longer active because of limited proposal submissions.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:

 

                                    Robert Myers                                                   Phone:  (310) 446-8280

                                    Administrative Secretary                                   Fax:      (310) 446-8390

                                    IEEE Power Electronics Society                       E-mail:  bob.myers@ieee.org

                                    IEEE Industry Applications Society

                                    799 North Beverly Glen

                                    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.

 

Inverter Specifications

 

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