Education and Simulation for Electric and Mechatronic Systems in Renewable Energy

Abstract

Mechatronic systems cover various technical domains, of which electronics and mechanics are the most prominent. But also heat transfer and control are important domains. EcoMechatronic applications for sustainable energy systems are to be found in generation, storage and mobility. Wind power generators, photovoltaic, battery and flywheel storage and especially electric vehicles are the new work-horses in the world of sustainable energy. Most of the applications under discussion use electric machines, and probably the most prominent example of this in EcoMechatronics is the electric vehicle. Therefore, many subjects in this chapter are devoted to the modeling and simulation of electric vehicles and especially how modeling and simulation are applied in the education of EcoMechatronics. In engineering, the role of simulation is undoubtedly strictly woven into the design process, or in other words, modern design without the involvement of simulation is exceptionally rare. Simulation is extensively used to examine the correctness of designs, in addition to its use as a tool to better understand and optimize the performance and/or reliability of a system. In education, the role of simulation is included mainly to teach the use of simulation in the design process. However, also as an educational method, simulation plays a significant role in the form of visualization by means of animation and virtual prototyping. Contrary to the engineering design process where the choice of a simulation method and complexity of the underlying mathematical model is done by the engineer to finally realize a prototype that fulfills expectations, for education the role of simulation is to aid the understanding of the working principles of systems. Engineers seek the highest performance at the lowest cost, whereas for education the goal is to explain the behavior of a system or method, study the application by changing parameters and compare the different results. In this chapter, the various modeling methods are briefly explored and compared. Depending on the domains in which the application is operating, the different modeling methods are discussed. A worked-out example of a sustainable solar-powered electric vehicle demonstrates the use of various simulation methods, along with their mathematical modeling techniques.