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This works presents the design of wireless power transfer systems that can transfer power through materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, carbon fiber, and fiberglass. Wireless power transfer research has been limited to through-air applications, focusing on short distances and high efficiencies. However, complex scenarios require specific design criteria to provide the advantages of wireless power transfer for critical applications. Taking this into consideration, this work presents the extensive research towards enabling wireless power transfer systems for unconventional barriers. In the first chapter a new approach is taken towards the design of compact and embedded wireless power transfer solutions. A miniature coil is designed to transfer power through a 1 mm thick aluminum metal plate. The results are unprecedented, P_rx=100 mW, considering that through metal power transfer had only being demonstrated using large diameter coils. In addition to that, the metal barrier used is aluminum, a high conductivity material. This is important because traditional research focused on less conductive material such as stainless steel or tin. In the next chapter, we demonstrated a wireless power and data transfer system that uses a miniature coil with a size of 15 mm × 13 mm × 6 mm. Our system demonstrated that not only power but data could be transferred through an aluminum barrier using the same coil for power and data transmission. The maximum coil-to-coil power transfer efficiency is 2.4%, and the maximum harvested power is 440 mW operating at 2 kHz. Additionally, our system demonstrated that power can be harvested in variety of materials of different thicknesses. The next chapter presents a breakthrough in the field of wireless power transfer through metal by enabling long distance wireless power transfer. A large portion of the technologies for wireless power transfer are limited to short operation distances, distances around 1-10 millimeters to less than 20 cm. The operation distances are even shorter for the case of through metal wireless power transfer. For through metal wireless power transfer, the high losses from the metal barrier require short operation distances less than 1 mm, in order to transfer some energy through the metal barrier. On the contrary, our system uses a custom designed coil to transfer energy to a receiving coil enclosed in a 1-mm thick aluminum metal box up to a distance of 1m. The maximum AC harvested power was 231 μW when the transmitted power is only 6.16 W. The next chapter presents a long range through metal wireless power transfer and communication system. The system demonstrated that power can be harvested inside a metal box, and that data can be transferred bidirectionally between the nodes. Operating at 103 kHz, a maximum harvested power of 408 μW AC and 96 μW DC is achieved, with bidirectional communication at a rate of 1.2 kbps. The last chapter presents the design of a wireless power transfer systems that can operate through composite materials. The work analyses the effect of different materials and presents a system that can operate wirelessly through carbon fiber and fiberglass. Finally, conclusions present the results of this research and the future perspectives in the field.

Flyer - Thermal Energy Storage Systems for Efficient Buildings

AMADEUS es un proyecto europeo que investiga materiales y dispositivos de estado sólido para almacenar energía a muy alta temperatura. Usando aleados de silicio como materiales de cambio de fase se alcanzan calores latentes superiores a 1000 kWh/m3, propiciando la obtención de altísimas densidades energéticas. Dichos aleados suponen temperaturas de almacenamiento por encima de los 1000 ºC, muy por encima de las de los sistemas actuales de acumulación térmica. El artículo describe las actividades del proyecto y sus primeros resultados, explicando los principales retos de este nuevo sistema que combina la acumulación de energía en forma de calor en silicio fundido con dispositivos de estado sólido termiónicos y termofotovoltaicos para la posterior conversión en electricidad. AMADEUS is a H2020 project that researches on materials and solid-state devices for very high temperature energy storage and conversion. By exploring silicon-based alloys as new phase change materials (PCMs), latent heat higher than 1000 kWh/m3 is achievable, which implies a very high energy density. In addition, silicon-based PCMs lead to storage temperatures well beyond 1000 ºC, well beyond that of current state-of-the-art thermal energy storage (TES). This paper describes the project R&D activities and first results, and comments on challenges towards a new kind of systems combining latent heat energy storage in molten silicon with thermionic and thermophotovoltaic solid state heat-to-power conversion.

Sweeping changes are beginning to transform energy scenarios around the world. The gas revolution, a renaissance in petroleum technology and exploration, and a chaotic but powerful movement toward the goal of low-carbon economies are three of the principal energy trends currently interacting with structural changes in the geo-economics of the Atlantic world to present new perspectives and opportunitiesfor the diverse actors in the ‘Atlantic Basin’. This article explores how changes in the energy landscape are contributing to a reassessment of the strategic horizon. The potential impacts of the shale revolution, deep-offshore oil, biofuels and other modern renewable energies on the geopolitics of the Atlantic Basin will be assessed, and the hypothesis that an Atlantic Basin energy system is now taking shape will be evaluated, along with an analysis of anticipated impacts.

The amount of energy and food consumed in Puerto Rico is more indicative of a developed nation than one than is underdeveloped. All the energy consumed in Puerto Rico is from fossil fuels, while the agricultural sector marginally provides the needs of the consumer. In addition, the animal production sectors rely exclusively on imported feedstock for the preparation of feeds. There is a potential to develop an ethanol industry based initially on sugarcane, as the main feedstock and then turn to biomass from energy cane and or organic solid waste in the future. In order to move to the second generation of ethanol production, the cellulosic ethanol industry has to become economically viable. A limiting factor in the use of sugarcane is that only 40,000 ha are currently available to grow this crop. Potentially, Puerto Rico can produce 200 million liters of ethanol on this area which could substitute 5% of the gasoline that was consumed in 2007. On the other hand, biomass could be obtained from bagasse, energy cane, and from 1.3 metric tons of organic solid waste (food and yard waste) produced annually on the island. This strategy can provide a relief to decreasing the amounts of organic solid waste that end up in the landfills.