On the 28th June, Members and guests of the SoCal LN were fortunate enough to be able to visit the Advanced Technology Labs of Southern California Edison in Pomona California.
The Pomona facility comprises the Advanced Energy Storage Lab (AES) and the Electric Drive Systems Lab (EDS). Behind those rather bland titles are several significant projects in tune with the times. Since Edison’s business is now primarily transmission and distribution, those are what the projects address. Common to hybrid and electric vehicles and to most renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, is the requirement for energy storage and management. Therefore much of the work addresses that in its various aspects.
The AES Lab evaluates battery and power electronics systems over a range of environmental conditions and power levels, from tens of kilowatts to tens of megawatts. We were shown many interesting current projects, such as a community energy storage system capable of load and voltage management for, say, 16 homes with fluctuating requirements and rooftop solar panels. Another practical example was that of an industrial plant with machinery that imposes large peak loads for brief periods. At the high end, yet another system was designed for a multi-megawatt wind energy project.
The EDS Lab features the “Garage of the Future” – a home garage with EV support, PV panels, storage system and “smart” metering – but most of the work is on hybrid- and electric-vehicle evaluation aimed at reducing the environmental impact and operational cost of the SCE fleet. The lab has a very versatile dynamometer and emissions-measurement facility and a charging systems infrastructure capable of accommodating electric vehicles up to “Class 8” – the largest 18-wheeler tractors, one of which was on test. An appealing incidental effort addresses the need for air-conditioning and electrical power while stationary. Traditionally drivers idle their engines, but SCE is working with suppliers who make auxiliary systems to do the job more efficiently.
We were fortunate enough to be guided by a very courteous and knowledgeable Diego Hinojosa, one of the engineers at the labs, and we owe him our sincere thanks for such an excellent visit. If you are presented an opportunity for a similar visit you should accept it immediately.