The Center for the Commercialization of Electric Technologies (CCET) sponsors an Annual Student Design Contest in cooperation with IEEE Region 5. CCET is a consortium of electric utilities, high technology firms, research companies, and university researchers who are committed to advancing the power market by increasing the reliability, security, power quality, and efficiency of electric power. Our product focus has been on "smart grid" technologies particularly at the distribution and end user segments.
The problems posed are real ones faced by the electric utility industry that may be applied in the field as practical solutions. Thus, the students have the satisfaction of knowing that they are working on a solution to problem faced by the electric utilities and/or green technology industry. In 2008, the contest featured the design of a distribution level transformer monitoring device that would predict transformer failure and communicate to the utility back office. The 2009 contest challenged contestants to design a residential DC distribution method.
Continuing the smart grid/green technology theme, 2010 undergraduate students were asked to submit a design paper for a residential energy system for existing homes or small businesses, with a renewable energy source, energy storage device, and an optimizing residential energy management system (REMS). And the 2010 graduate students topic was automatic phase detection in smart meters.
Unlike previous years where designs were focused on specific pieces of equipment (e.g., devices to predict transformer failure), in the 2011 student design contest we are asking the student teams to design a power system enhancement to compliment an existing wind farm. The design would add battery storage and solar photovoltaic arrays, and consider the adequacy of supporting infrastructure (e.g., substations, inverters,) in order to improve the load factor of utility scale renewable energy to the grid and evaluate overall economics.
In addition to the cash prizes, the trophies, and the opportunity to display their work at the annual IEEE Region 5 conference, successful contestants are given the opportunity to further showcase their work in a demonstration and/or may be selected by one or more CCET industry members to commercialize their work.
The CCET/IEEE student design contest is open to any student who is at least 18 years old and is enrolled as an electrical and/or computer engineering student and is a member of an IEEE student branch in IEEE Region 5. Void where prohibited by law. Contestants and their faculty advisors are encouraged to combine this with a senior design project for the fall semester, but are not required to do so.