Google Little Box Challenge : Design A Smaller Power Inverter & Win $1 Million
Google and IEEE have announced an innovative challenge for all the electrical engineers, innovators and the DOers- to design a kW-scale inverter with the highest power density > 50 Watt per cubic inch. If you succeed in designing the inverter, Google's kept aside a cool sum of $1,000,000; enough for you to spend the rest of your life luxuriously. Those of you who skipped their first year engineering classes may try to recall that the Inverters are the devices that convert the direct current (DC) into alternating one, AC.
Google describes the problem using simple words. The problem with current generation of inverters is that they are too big! The household inverters are roughly the size of a picnic cooler and shrinking them in size would mean that the solar energy would power more homes, more efficient electrical grids and taking electricity to remotest parts of the world. Google wants you to make the inverters smaller, of the size of a laptop or tablet (or even smaller, if you can!) and they'll reward you with a million dollars. It'd also mean that the next generation of electrical and power engineers will thank you almost on daily basis!
Does that set the electrical charges in your brain in motion? If yes, note the dates carefully -
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Google describes the problem using simple words. The problem with current generation of inverters is that they are too big! The household inverters are roughly the size of a picnic cooler and shrinking them in size would mean that the solar energy would power more homes, more efficient electrical grids and taking electricity to remotest parts of the world. Google wants you to make the inverters smaller, of the size of a laptop or tablet (or even smaller, if you can!) and they'll reward you with a million dollars. It'd also mean that the next generation of electrical and power engineers will thank you almost on daily basis!
Does that set the electrical charges in your brain in motion? If yes, note the dates carefully -
- Team Registration Ends: September 30, 2014
- Submission Of Technical Approach By Participants: July 22, 2015
- Google & IEEE will Pick Up 18 Finalists: October 21, 2015. The finalists will have to bring their inverters to the testing facility in United States in person.
- Winner Declared: January, 2016.
- Handle up to 2 kVA load
- Power Density equal to or greater than 50 W per cubic inch
- Handle loads with PF from 0.7-1, leading / lagging in islanded mode
- Should be a rectangular slab measuring not more than 40 cubic inches
- Input 450V DC, with 10 Ω resistor
- Output 240V, 60 Hz AC, single-phase power
- Total harmonic distortion + noise on voltage and current should be less than 5%
- Input ripple current < 20%
- Input ripple voltage < 3%
- Overall efficiency should be minimum 95%
- Should not exceed 60°C during operation at any place that can be touched
- FCC Part 15B compliance - a must.
- No external cooling, other than water
- Should not require galvanic isolation
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