We’re continuing to run various tests and trial activity with our CarbonVIX test bed this week.
Due to weather issues we’ve moved most of the work indoors, however with the exception of the solar array we’re still able to test all of the functionality.
We’re comfortable with what we’ve learned about the solar system’s ability to capture solar power and deliver it to either the storage batteries or a load. This week we’ve been testing the radio link, IP switching, video capture and the power management system.
Our focus has been primarily on working through a number of failure modes to identify consequential impacts, such as the ability of the various functions to restart after an interruption. For example, we’ve been cycling between grid power and the storage system to see if anything shuts down. We’ve purposely run the system beyond a low-voltage alarm and observed how the various loads are removed from service.
Next steps include reviewing our prospect list and starting to build some focused demo applications. Since the test bed can demonstrate a number of capabilities, (e.g. renewable power and storage, IP connectivity, Broadband wireless and remote monitoring and control) we are open to any opportunities, systems, and applications that need to be delivered to remote locations, or to places where conventional services have been compromised, e.g. a natural disaster.
