Santa Clara University

Rachel Donohoe

Hohyun Lee

Xavier Andrew Moya

Mark F Wagner

Kerbasi Ugarte

Rebecca Barney

Alex Zatopa

Russell Williams

Claire Kunkle

Smart hot water heater control can be improved by departing from the conventional approach of monitoring hot water demand at a single point (i.e., the water heater output). Instead, hot water demand is monitored at each location in the building where hot water is used. With this approach, the controller can provide hot water at a temperature suitable for the intended use, e.g., warm water for a bath or shower, and much hotter water for a dishwasher. This advantageously avoids inefficiency due to mixing hot and cold water at a tap to provide temperature control.

Machine learning based smart water heater controller using wireless sensor networks

A solar energy heat to electricity conversion device is provided that includes a thermally conductive solar receiver having a cylinder with an open end and a cup-shape closed end and a thermally conductive fin disposed on an outside surface of the cup-shape closed end, where the thermally conductive solar receiver is capable of absorbing solar energy directed into the cylinder, a thermoelectric module (TEM) that includes a first plate and a second plate, where the first plate is in contact with a surface of the thermally conductive fin, where the conductive fin is capable of transferring heat to the first plate, and a thermally conductive water block in contact with the TEM that is capable of cooling the TEM, where the water block includes a fluid input and a fluid output, where the TEM generates electricity according to a temperature difference between the first plate and the second plate.

Solar receiver design for thermoelectric power generation and waste heat utilization

Growing community of inventors

Juneau, AK, United States of America

Rachel Donohoe