The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	Ultracapacitors for off grid wind power systems
Author:	Tanis, Hans
View Online:	njit-etd2015-091 (x, 49 pages ~ 1.0 MB pdf)
Department:	Committee for the Interdisciplinary Program in Materials Science and Engineering
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Materials Science and Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Ravindra, N. M. (Committee chair) Jaffe, Michael (Committee member) Opyrchal, Halina (Committee member) Mani, Balraj Subra (Committee member) Hammond, Willis B. (Committee member)
Date:	2015-05
Keywords:	Ultracapacitors Wind turbine Storage capacity
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	The main reason for wind turbine to be not as prevalent as traditional power systems is because they do not have an effective storage capacity. However, researchers in material science and engineering have found ways to resolve this problem by developing “ultracapacitors” that store energy by assembling ions at the surface of a porous material. That is why ultracapacitors coupled with the energy storage battery could present a challenge to the electrical power grid. Such a design allows ultracapacitors to charge in matter of minutes and not hours. This innovation would create a significant impact on electronic items such as computers, smartphones and tablets. In addition, it would revolutionize the electric car industry, solar and wind power industries that are looking for a quick way of storing energy. Such an invention would be ideal for off-grid systems and wind power that rely on sun and wind that are not consistent in nature. In fact, ultracapacitors would allow the solar off-grid to store energy during the day and use it whenever required. The same process can be applied for wind energy systems that can store the energy when the wind is active. The field of ultracapacitors is widening due to a variety of approaches that have been used to deliver the best possible use for this product. The objective, in this thesis, is to analyze the effective use of ultracapacitors coupled with wind turbine in the market. This analysis addresses efficiency, cost, reliability, portability and durability in order to challenge the status quo of the energy provider in the market. This study will also investigate the design that would be the most promising in providing the best challenge to the future of storage energy systems.