"Power Spring" and other renewable energy grids

Obama's "wish that wind power accounted for 80% of power generation," the wonderful idea so that scientists feel incredible. Sometimes wind energy that does not exist means that the voltage is high and low, not to mention 80%, and only occupying a 10% ratio can lead to instability of the entire power grid. However, the 2013 winner, Xu Shuyuan, chair professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Hong Kong, has developed a new “power spring” for the smart grid that will allow wind power and solar energy to enter the power grid on a large scale. Helps wind power and other renewable energy sources to connect.

Xu Shuyuan said that there is a shortage of energy at the moment, although Hong Kong is still powered by large power companies. In Australia and Europe, many families install solar panels and wind turbines themselves, which is almost the only way to clean energy. However, "The power company does not know who owns (self-generated power), but it is difficult to stabilize the power." He added that the electricity and water are just like buckets. The balance between water injection and water supply is stable. Farewell wind power is not necessarily always present, and the solar energy in the panel dissipates within five seconds. Scattered wind and solar power are difficult to balance. He recalled that Wu Fuli, an expert in the field of international power system, talked to him about this problem as early as ten years ago. “Professor Wu said at the time, if you want to use renewable energy to generate electricity, stability is a big problem. If you take the proportion Fortunately, it is small, but if it accounts for more than 15 percent, the impact will be great."

The concept of "electrical spring" is similar to a spring mattress, and even though the mattress may be unevenly loaded or one or two springs are damaged, it can still hold people steady. So, can the spring effect be used to buffer the variable voltage and allow it to stabilize?

The "Power Springs" team consists of five members, including Hong Kong University and Imperial College London. He explained that the power spring looks like an ordinary spring, but it has a built-in sensor. As long as the electrical device is installed, it will automatically detect the voltage of the entire house's power grid. According to the voltage situation, it is decided to release the reverse voltage, or increase the voltage to ensure that the voltage tends to be stable.

After the experiment was successful, Xu Shuyuan of Imperial College in London called Wu Fuli at the first time. “He was so happy that he jumped up and then took the next day's flight to the United Kingdom.” Xu Shuyuan looked forward to the installation of power springs in the future. Constitute a stable grid. If large-scale use is made, the contribution of wind energy and solar energy will increase significantly.

In the eyes of Xu Shuyuan, science and technology are "reducing complexity and simplifying the economy" - promoting social development in a four-pronged manner. In addition to power springs, he also has inventions such as electromagnetic chargers. A small electromagnetic plate can charge all appliances in the home without affecting the nearby mobile phones and bank cards. There is also a pacemaker that can be recharged in vitro, eliminating the need to replace the battery with surgery every few years.

Xu Shuyuan played with a piece of fruit on the table and said that science is actually very interesting. Therefore, he was fortunate to enter the door of science. "Think about how boring a job is, but now I don't have many answers every day. Research will keep you nasty."