Moksha D's Senior Project Blog

Project Title: Integrating Renewables into the Electrical Power Grid: The Current Problems and Potential Solutions
BASIS Advisor: Bryce White
Internship Location: SRP
Onsite Mentor: Daniel M Fox



Project Abstract

With this research, I hope to identify ways to assist in a smoother transition of our power systems from being highly dependent on coal, nuclear, and gas, to renewables, such as solar, hydro, and wind. Renewables, while environmentally friendly, have inconsistencies in their availability which fail to match hourly variations in energy demand. This leads me to my research question of how utility companies such as SRP can sustain their supply of energy during this progression into renewable energy. I want to combine my passion for electrical engineering, living an environmentally friendly life, and my community, to ultimately propose a solution for going green without decreasing the reliability of energy and power available for consumers. 

    My Posts:

  • Conclusion

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! These last 10 weeks have flown by and I am so happy to be finishing my research with only positive things to say about my experience.  I want to thank BASIS Phoenix for giving me the opportunity to do this research, Mr. White for guiding me as... Read More

  • Solar Panels

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! This past week we focused on solar panels specifically as it is the most accessible form of renewable energy storage for the public.  A solar panel is essentially a device that goes on the roof of a house or building that converts sunlight into energy. Solar panels... Read More

  • The Future of Energy Storage

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today I will be talking about what engineers expect to use as energy storage if/when lithium-ion batteries could become outdated. As with any other technology, batteries are always advancing and eventually lithium-ion batteries might not be the best form of energy storage anymore.  There are a few... Read More

  • Cost Analysis

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today I will be focusing less on the scientific aspect of batteries and instead I will be analyzing the costs of batteries and renewable energy as a whole. For obvious reasons, obtaining renewable energy from the sun and wind is free but building the technology to convert... Read More

  • Tesla Batteries Part 2

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog! I will be continuing to share what I learned from my Tesla battery site visit. Going back to the main purpose of my project, lithium-ion batteries have proven to be the most efficient way of storing renewable energy thus far. But it still experiences the issue that... Read More

  • Tesla Batteries

    Hi everyone and welcome back to my blog!  This week I had the privilege of seeing lithium-ion batteries in person and to many people’s interest, they were Tesla batteries.  Tesla not only makes batteries for cars, but also batteries for utility companies like Salt River Project, SRP. SRP purchases some of their lithium-ion batteries from... Read More

  • Lithium-Ion Batteries

    Hi everyone! Before spring break, I was looking at different forms of energy storage. I came across some challenges in using a pumped hydro or wind turbines. Because of the lack of reliability in these forms of storage, lithium-ion batteries have prevailed to currently be the best form of renewable energy storage.  Lithium-ion batteries, Li-ion,... Read More

  • Batteries as Energy Storage

    Hi everyone! In my last blog post I discussed various forms of storing renewable energy. Today, I will be focusing on the most efficient form of storage; batteries.  Currently, SRP, Salt River Project, and many other utility companies have found that the best medium of storing energy is batteries which is known as electrochemical storage.... Read More

  • Different Types of Renewable Energy Storage

    Welcome back to my blog! In the past week, I was focused on the different forms of storage for renewables. My project will focus primarily on lithium-ion batteries but for now, I wanted to explore different forms of storage as well. This included thermal storage, mechanical storage, and the pumped hydro to name a few.... Read More

  • The Challenges Behind Using Renewable Energy to Supply Electricity

    Hi everyone! Welcome back to my blog! This week I was focused on analyzing the challenges with the three types of renewable energy I studied last week.  The main issue that engineers are facing in harnessing renewable energy is that solar, hydro, and wind are all weather dependent. This creates an inconsistency in the ability... Read More

  • What is Solar, Hydro, and Wind?

    Hello everyone! This past week I have been focused on the first stage of my project - What are the main types of renewable energy? SRP, Salt River Project, focuses on solar, hydro, and wind. Solar, as understood in the name, is the energy that comes from the sun. In Phoenix, it’s the blazing star... Read More

  • Introduction Blog

    Hi! My name is Moksha Dalal and I am a senior at BASIS Phoenix. I will be studying Electrical Engineering at Barrett the Honors College on the ASU Tempe campus and eventually aspire to work with either aviation or microchips. In my senior research project, I will be collaborating with the utility company SRP, Salt... Read More