Virtual On line
June 22, 2020
June 22, 2020
June 26, 2021
Energy Conversion and Conservation
16
10.18260/1-2--35054
https://peer.asee.org/35054
812
Brittany Weber is an Illinois State University undergraduate student in the Sustainable and Renewable Energy major with a Food Studies minor. She was the president of the Renewable Energy Society and head of the solar grill project from 2019-2020.
Katelyn Dunnagan is an undergraduate student at Illinois State University, where she is majoring in Sustainable and Renewable Energy. She is currently an executive board member for the Renewable Energy Society and holds a position as a student ambassador for the technology department.
Matthew Aldeman is an Assistant Professor of Technology at Illinois State University, where he teaches in the Renewable Energy and Engineering Technology programs. Matt joined the Technology department faculty after working at the Illinois State University Center for Renewable Energy for over five years. Previously, he worked at General Electric as a wind site manager at the Grand Ridge and Rail Splitter wind projects. Matt’s experience also includes service in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear propulsion officer and leader of the Reactor Electrical division on the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis. Matt is an honors graduate of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Power School and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University, a Master of Engineering Management from Old Dominion University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology.
The Office of Sustainability at Illinois State University regularly participates in tailgates at campus events. Tailgating involves cooking food on large gas or charcoal grills, and the events typically last for several hours. To raise awareness of sustainability-related issues, the Office of Sustainability asked the Renewable Energy Society if they would design and build a more sustainable grill for use at these tailgates. The Renewable Energy Society is a student-led organization that is dedicated to the study of renewable energy systems. The students agreed to take on the challenge and formed a team dedicated to the project. After some preliminary research, the students discarded the traditional “solar cooker” design because experience showed that the design does not achieve adequate temperatures to cook meat in a short amount of time. Next the students explored the idea of converting a propane grill to a battery-based solar electric system. The team performed tests by connecting various battery configurations to an electric stovetop burner. After additional research, consulting with system design experts, and obtaining price quotes, the team decided to use an off-grid inverter and a commercially available outdoor electric range. The system is fed from a bank of batteries that is sized to provide 2-3 hours of continuous grilling time. The batteries are charged with a set of PV modules with a portable racking system that can be set up at the tailgate location, or a wall outlet for cloudy days. The group is enthusiastic about using the grill as a branding and marketing opportunity for their student organization. They also intend to use it for fundraising purposes by selling grilled meat sandwiches on the quad during warm weather.
Weber, B., & Dunnagan , K. R., & Aldeman, M. (2020, June), Photovoltaic Solar Grill Paper presented at 2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access, Virtual On line . 10.18260/1-2--35054
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