First Results with a Virtual Platform for the Renewable Energy Technology Courses

Radian G Belu

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Conference: 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Publication Date: June 23, 2013
Start Date: June 23, 2013
End Date: June 26, 2013
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: New Concepts for Alternative and Renewable Energy Courses
Tagged Division: Energy Conversion and Conservation
Page Count: 18
Page Numbers: 23.602.1 - 23.602.18
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--19616
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/19616
Download Count: 508

Paper Authors

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Radian G Belu Drexel University (Tech.)

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Dr. Radian Belu is Assistant Professor within the Engineering Technology (ET) program - Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA. He is holding the second position as Research Assistant Professor at Desert Research Institute – Renewable Energy Center, Reno, Nevada. Before joining to the Drexel University Dr. Belu hold faculty and research positions at universities and research institutes in Romania, Canada and United States. He also worked for several years in industry as a project manager and senior consultant. He has taught and developed undergraduate and graduate courses in electronics, power systems, control and power electronics, electric machines, instrumentation, radar and remote sensing, numerical methods and data analysis, space and atmosphere physics, and physics. His research interests included power system stability, control and protection, renewable energy system analysis, assessment and design, power electronics and electric machines for wind energy conversion, radar and remote sensing, wave and turbulence simulation, measurement and modeling, numerical modeling, electromagnetic compatibility and engineering education. During his career Dr. Belu published several papers in referred journals and in conference proceedings in his areas of the research interests. He has also been PI or co-PI for various research projects United States and abroad in power systems analysis and protection, load and energy demand forecasting and analysis, renewable energy analysis, assessment and design, turbulence and wave propagation, radar and remote sensing, instrumentation, atmosphere physics, electromagnetic compatibility, and engineering education.

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Abstract

First Results with a Virtual Platform for the Renewable Energy Technology CoursesIn the modern world, where everything changes at an extremely fast rate, a constant andeveryday updating of knowledge is necessary. The recent growth of renewable energy usage as aresult of the installation of more and more generating units leads to development of new andeffective tools for monitoring and control regarding these systems but also to the training ofspecialists in the field of renewable energy systems. Nowadays all energy companies usealternative and renewable energy sources applications. As those technologies change quickly,instructors, engineers and researchers need to keep this fast pace and improve their knowledgeand keep up with innovative concepts. Since traditional learning methods are time consumingand sometimes impractical, learning through the Internet seems maybe the only effective andfeasible solution. There is a need for new learning tools and practical experiences which can nowbe met by new teaching methods, as so called virtual learning. In recent years due to the Internetadvances, the growing interest and the fast development of computer technologies, E-Learninghas been well accepted in many different education areas and at many universities. Computingand communication technology have had a significant impact on engineering education,improving online, distance, and collaborative learning, as well as the use of the virtual andremote distance experiments, laboratories and simulations in the engineering education. On theother hand, the technology has a great development rate and it is mandatory not only forstudents, but also for professionals, engineers, and technicians to be informed about theirdomains’ new features. Distance-learning programs and remote laboratories are ideal forprofessionals, who need to update their knowledge and skills. These tools developed are mainlydesigned as a base for a virtual laboratory that can be used for the study of renewable energyparameters, representing, by didactical point of view, a handful way for students to study thephenomenology and also a training tool for specialists, technicians and engineers in the field ofrenewable energy and energy conversion technologies. This paper presents a virtual platformconceived for the study of the renewable energy sources and energy conversion systems.Besides of the study of the generated renewable energy or energy conversion system parameters,the monitoring using virtual instrumentation is implemented. The virtual platform is proposed tobe realized using the LabVIEW, Interactive Data Language and MATLAB/Simulinkenvironments. It will provide students with enhanced tools of study, virtual experiments onrenewable energy sources, energy conversion and hybrid power systems. The proposed systemprovides the learner with information about the most important functions, principles andoperational problems of each of the renewable energy sources and energy systems included

Citation
Format

Belu, R. G. (2013, June), First Results with a Virtual Platform for the Renewable Energy Technology Courses Paper presented at 2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Atlanta, Georgia. 10.18260/1-2--19616

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -  First Results with a Virtual Platform for the Renewable Energy Technology                                    CoursesIn the modern world, where everything changes at an extremely fast rate, a constant andeveryday updating of knowledge is necessary. The recent growth of renewable energy usage as aresult of the installation of more and more generating units leads to development of new andeffective tools for monitoring and control regarding these systems but also to the training ofspecialists in the field of renewable energy systems. Nowadays all energy companies usealternative and renewable energy sources applications. As those technologies change quickly,instructors, engineers and researchers need to keep this fast pace and improve their knowledgeand keep up with innovative concepts. Since traditional learning methods are time consumingand sometimes impractical, learning through the Internet seems maybe the only effective andfeasible solution. There is a need for new learning tools and practical experiences which can nowbe met by new teaching methods, as so called virtual learning. In recent years due to the Internetadvances, the growing interest and the fast development of computer technologies, E-Learninghas been well accepted in many different education areas and at many universities. Computingand communication technology have had a significant impact on engineering education,improving online, distance, and collaborative learning, as well as the use of the virtual andremote distance experiments, laboratories and simulations in the engineering education. On theother hand, the technology has a great development rate and it is mandatory not only forstudents, but also for professionals, engineers, and technicians to be informed about theirdomains’ new features. Distance-learning programs and remote laboratories are ideal forprofessionals, who need to update their knowledge and skills. These tools developed are mainlydesigned as a base for a virtual laboratory that can be used for the study of renewable energyparameters, representing, by didactical point of view, a handful way for students to study thephenomenology and also a training tool for specialists, technicians and engineers in the field ofrenewable energy and energy conversion technologies. This paper presents a virtual platformconceived for the study of the renewable energy sources and energy conversion systems.Besides of the study of the generated renewable energy or energy conversion system parameters,the monitoring using virtual instrumentation is implemented. The virtual platform is proposed tobe realized using the LabVIEW, Interactive Data Language and MATLAB/Simulinkenvironments. It will provide students with enhanced tools of study, virtual experiments onrenewable energy sources, energy conversion and hybrid power systems. The proposed systemprovides the learner with information about the most important functions, principles andoperational problems of each of the renewable energy sources and energy systems included
AU  - Radian G Belu
CY  - Atlanta, Georgia
DA  - 2013/06/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - First Results with a Virtual Platform for the Renewable Energy Technology Courses
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/19616
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--19616
ER  -