Renewable Energy and Island Sustainability (REIS) Program

Prof. and Chair Tony Kuh Dept. of Electrical Engineering

Director REIS team

Why REIS?   Global Need and Interest   National Need: President Obama’s renewable energy

program (use more renewable energy and energy efficient practices, job creation)

  Hawaii Need: Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), 70% of energy to come from clean sources (renewable energy and energy efficiency) by 2030

  Hawaii Advantages:   Natural resources: sun, wind, waves, geothermal   Closed grid system: more amenable to analysis   Ahupua`a system: island sustainability

Need to change energy consumption   Fossil fuels are not sustainable   Environmental considerations

  Environmental impacts of fossil fuels   Carbon emissions   Climate change

  Political considerations   Economic consideration

Two references   T. Friedman, Hot Flat and Crowded

why we need a green revolution and how it can renew America, Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2008.

  D. J. C. Mackay, Sustainable Energy without the hot air, UIT Cambridge, LTD, 2009.

What is going on in Hawaii

  Currently ~90% of energy is from oil, ~95% from fossil fuels. With HCEI by 2030 want 70% of energy to come clean energy sources

  Development of RE sources, energy efficient and conservation practices, smart grid

  Tremendous technical, scientific, engineering, economic, political and social challenges   State   Industry   Education

REIS Goals   Multidisciplinary team formed to conduct cutting edge

renewable energy and island sustainability research   Obtain sustained funding from (NSF, DOE, military)   Become internationally recognized program

  Develop REIS program to educate students in renewable energy and sustainability and provide work force for Hawaii, USA, and globally

  Work with state of Hawaii and industry to help in implementation of Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI)

  Develop experimental lab: Green Holmes Hall Initiative   Recruit undergraduates, K-12 students, underrepresented

students into REIS program

REIS Program Constituents

REIS Team

Industrial and State Advisory

Group

Vice Chancellor Ostrander

students visitors

Federal Funding Agencies Hawaii State Industry

Other UHM sustainability

efforts

REIS Activities

RE Prod.

RE Storage

RE Integ.

Smart Grid

Energy Efficiency

Sust. Applic.

Research

Education

GHHI

Wind Solar Wave

Fuel Cells Other

Batteries Capacitors

Other

Distributed sources

Green Holmes Hall Initiative   Experimental testbed for REIS activities   Implementation first phase

  RE generation and storage: installing PV, wind turbines, and storage batteries

  Holmes Hall energy audit and conservation: monitor energy usage using sensor networks

  Build smart grid (hardware and software) lab   Operational phase

  Conduct research experiments and design projects   Work with state and industry   Recruitment tool for students   Work with other UH sustainability initiatives

Other Current Projects   Solar photovoltaic water pumps   Open micro smart grids   Wind forecasting   Nanotechnology in renewable energy   Automated force balanced kite-sails   Zero-net energy wearable biosensors   SWAC for Waikiki

Contact information   REIS homepage:

http://reis.manoa.hawaii.edu/reis2/reis

  Seminar contacts:   Prof. Michelle Teng: X65060, mteng@hawaii.edu   Prof. Tony Kuh: X67527, kuh@hawaii.edu