The Green Back: Environmentally Friendly Backup Power System

Power losses are frequent in some parts of the country, and often necessitate the use of gasoline or diesel generators to run critical appliances such as refrigerators, freezers, water pumps, sump pumps, air conditioners, and heaters. These generators consume fossil fuels and contribute carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas contributing to global warming, to the atmosphere. The Green Back project seeks to design a power backup system that uses renewable energy to provide electricity. The backup system will provide power for sufficient time that appliances can be used intermittently, and will self-charge continuously. Alternative sources under consideration include wind and solar energy. The project is a collaboration of students from the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences and engineers in the Pratt School of Engineering. More information can be found at the team web site, at http://www.duke.edu/~mfc5/greenback/ .