Design, installation and data collection for the monitoring platform of a remote micro-grid (funded by Energy Market Authority, Singapore, 2015-2017, S$620k, under BEARS Research Center of University of California, Berkeley)

It has been projected that Singapore has a large potential solar photovoltaic power generation. However, the grid stability will then face a great challenge given the rapid fluctuation of the solar installation due to the peculiarities of the local climate. To install utility-scale energy storage systems to buffer out the solar power intermittency is a possible solution. However large-scale energy storage systems are still very expensive and have limited lifespans and operational reliability issues.

Hence in order for Singapore to incorporate more solar PV generation, real-time and holistic condition monitoring and health prognosis of various components of power grids such as solar PV modules and energy storage batteries are desirable in order to maximize their lifespans, increase system performances, reduce maintenance costs and eliminate risk of grid instability. This study is a pioneer to investigate how possible the micro-grid technology can be used to supply electricity to thousands of islands in Southeast Asia region where most of the aboriginals still living under primitive conditions.

Micro-grid digital twin development for effective energy management and deployment (funded by Energy Market Authority, EDGE grant call, 2019-2022, on-going, S$3M, collaboration with Singapore Power Group and Singapore Institute of Technology)

This project aims to conduct applied research and development of a digital twin of two micro-grids (one grid-connected micro-grid owned by SPG and one stand-alone micro-grid located in an island of Singapore) which includes the research of preventive maintenance algorithms and intelligent control strategies to facilitate the interconnection of multiple micro-grids in Singapore. The project aim to achieve the following deliverables:

1. To build the modelling process (forward and/or inverse) to model the digital twin of the electrical assets in two micro-grids.

2. To build the model verification, adaptive error correction process using real time and historical monitoring data from previous project. The modelling and error correction process will be extended to other physical grids and assets owed by SPG micro-grid.

3. To build the control-hardware-in-the-loop. Use real Siemens EMS unit to control the components in digital twin.

4. To prepare and carry out real time simulation study of the digital twin model. This simulation will be running in the replica of the controller as hardware in the loop.

5. Research, design and development of an asset aging model and abnormality detection mechanism for preventive maintenance and accelerated asset aging economy study.

6. Research and development of interconnected micro-grid topologies and a control system that will ensure stable operation of the micro-grids after interconnection.

In-wheel motor control platform development for autonomous intelligent vehicle (funded by Star Asia Trading Pte. Ltd, 2018-2019, S$150k, under Singapore Institute of technology)

The design of a powered caster wheel with an in-wheel motor replacing the PCW’s wheel and rolling motor is carried out in this project. It effectively reduces the size and weight of several components. The design was created using standard off the shelf components to keep the design simple and cost low. The design was fabricated and tested to demonstrate its capabilities to handle heavy loads and to achieve precise motion controls.

The in-wheel motor motion control platform developed of this project can be generally applied for all kinds of mobile robotic vehicle industry applications such as medical science and healthcare, food and beverages, automotive, and oil and gas with the demand for autonomous mobile robots.