Potential Energy Demo Exhibit (Pumped Storage concept)
This exhibit demonstrates a practial use of Potential energy using Pumped storage concept! Pumping water uphill using unused solar power and then generating power using potential energy when needed!
Background
The broad concept of this Energy museum exhibit was to demonstrate the usage of Potential Energy (energy stored in idle condition) as a means to solve a very critical problem commonly found in non conventional energy - Availability of energy when it is most needed!.
Deenabandhu Trust, Chamarajanagar, Karnataka
This project was developed for an NGO which is into building Scientific Exhibitions, Museums and upgrade Science Demonstration infrastructure in schools called Deenabandhu. As part of an Energy themed museum they were setting up this exhibit was developed by Ideas Unlimited, Mysuru.
Deenabandhu is a charitable Non-Profit Organization located in Chamarajnagar. Deenabandhu works towards the education and rehabilitation of orphan, destitute and estranged children. The trust is also into Science, innovation and teaching Science to school children and other activities.
Miniature Hill Top Temple with lights, street lights etc.
Nearly finished model ready for electronic systems integration
Section of model showing Hydro Electric turbine and the Solar power plant, along with Solar water pump
Hill Top Reservoir being filled up by Solar Water pump!
Village street lights at night
To demonstrate how Potential Energy can be utilized in a practical situation, a miniature scale model of a typical "Pumped Storage" concept was built. Here unused solar energy is utilized to create potential energy when solar power is available in excess! This energy is then harnessed on a need basis when demand is very high, most often at night when solar energy is not produced!
When solar power is abundantly available, and not needed, it is used to pump water from a natural lake at the foothill, to an artificial lake, at the top of the hill, where it is stored. There is a solenoid valve and pipe mechanism that can be used to open water from the storage on top of the hill to a Hydro electric power generator that can be used to generate large quantities of power on demand!
Typically these projects are planned in large scale in Megawatt capacities and this table top scale model explains exactly how the entire system works!
While this system uses non conventional energy to convert idle excess capacity to potential energy, it solves one of the biggest problems of non conventional energy - Aavailability of energy when it is most needed!
Vide of the Potential Energy Exhbit, explains how the concept of Pumped Storage works!
In this demo exhibit model, a Bright LED illuminator simulates the Sun, and when a button is pressed, it shows 15 seconds of sunlight scenario, where solar power is used to pump water from the lake at bottom of hill to top. Then it simulates the sun going down scenario and demand from the grid, when the solenoid valve is switched on to let water flow from top and in turn generate power in a Hydro electric plant, which powers up the nearby village and human habitation!
How it was built?
Click on left/right buttons to scroll through the pictures and description to see how it was built!
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