Watch: How the Power Hub works
The Power Hub is a project that aims to explore and showcase the possibilities of renewable energy. Situated in a 20-foot shipping container, it shows how combining readily available tech with efficient software and data can create a self-sustaining energy ecosystem for off-grid compounds, office buildings, or industrial yards.
Relying entirely on the energy of the sun, the Power Hub provides electricity, hot water, cooling, and even fresh water.
Alongside this, custom-built software shares live data about how energy is harvested, stored and consumed — offering real-time insights on energy consumption.
In terms of how the Power Hub works, we can split this into three key aspects: energy generation, energy storage, and cooling and water management.
Energy generation
The Power Hub captures solar energy and harnesses it in two distinct ways.
- Electricity: Standard photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof generate electricity directly from sunlight.
- Thermal energy: Instead of treating heat as a waste product, the hub uses specialized vacuum heat pipes in order to warm water and power an adsorption cooler
Energy storage
Producing electricity and heat from solar energy is only half the battle, the other part is ensuring it can be used when the sun’s not around.
- Electrical storage: Generated electricity is stored in a combination of lithium-ion and lead batteries.
- Thermal storage: The Power Hub uses a phase-change material to store thermal energy. This is a form of salt that transitions from a solid to a liquid at 78° C, storing masses of heat in the process. This thermal energy can then be accessed at a later date.
Cooling and water management
The Power Hub also controls the temperature of spaces and manages water.
- Heat-fired chiller: A Yazaki cooler uses heated water to create cold water that’s perfect for air conditioning, something it does mainly using thermal energy.
- Water management: The Power Hub can desalinate seawater into clean domestic water. It also features a greywater recycling system that filters sink water for reuse in toilets, maximizing every available drop.
To find out more about the Power Hub and how it works, watch the video below:
