Energy transportation will not only be the means of electricity cable but also with distributed micro-generators such as electric vehicles. Power cable lines are the current method of delivering electricity, but they are also associated with the high cost of building transmission lines, environmental impact where forest needs to be cleared, safety and maintenance issues, and quality and cable loss issues.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Muhamad Nabil Hidayat of the College of Engineering, UiTM spearheads the AC & DC Intelligent Charging Station as a Distributed Micro Grid Generator Utilizing Matrix, Neutral Point Type Converter Topology for the Smart Grid at a cost of more than RM3.5 Million, driven by the spirit of doing more for renewable energy and moving forward towards the EV era.
The project is fully-funded by PETRONAS Research Sdn Bhd and focuses on tackling the aforementioned challenge by utilising the bi-directional EV-charging station. This innovation could serve as a distributed micro-generator with a load capacity of up to 500kW and is proposed as a smart grid solution for rural areas or confined areas where grid access is difficult. Furthermore, it could be potentially coupled with other renewable energy sources to improve sustainability and reliability.
Congratulations to the UiTM researchers!