Scenario: Critical thinking Real-life Problem
Jamal contributes his success as a Master Chef to his Grandma. Jamal is excited to have his
Grandma, his muse come and live with him. Jamal learned how to cook by watching his
Grandma cook. He remembers spending three weeks with his mother’s mother during the
summer. Grandma was known for cooking and having all types of good-tasting food in the
refrigerator when he came to visit.
Unfortunately, Grandma’s attention is short and she forgets things. Jamal wanted his Grandma
to continue to cook with some modifications in his home. He removed the stove and refrigerator
from the kitchen and replaced these items with modern appliances. Jamal would like to equip
the kitchen with a house solar battery to run a 120-volt ceiling fan with LED for 6 hours each
night, an induction range, a microwave/smart oven, an electric expresso maker, and a smart
refrigerator.
After reading this module,
Your task is to design a complete kitchen with a solar house battery to supply the power needs
for Jamal’s kitchen that will be reliable and economical and explain why it appears to best suit
his needs. Assume that all devices may be operated simultaneously for short periods of time for
maximum reliability. The kitchen remodeling must be completed and functional within a long
weekend (three days). You have $15,000 to spend on the whole project.
You will present your design with details in a PowerPoint format. Explain why you select each of
the items in your kitchen and keep track of your cost.
Here are some pertinent facts to get you started:
~Average sunlight per day during summer months = 10 hours and winter months 6 hours
~ Number of expected consecutive overcast days without full sun = 2 LED lights draw ~ 24
watts
~ Microwave/convection oven
~ Induction cooking top (2) ,
~ two solar tunnels
~ Refrigerator rated at ~ 1.5 amps at 120 volts (daily power estimate = 600 watt-hours) Peak
power may reach 540 watts for a moment when the compressor starts
~ Expresso maker requires a peak of 1450 watts but averages 1000 watts an hour, assume it
will run for 8 minutes a day.
Sample Answer
Kitchen Design
- Appliances:
- 120-volt ceiling fan with LED
- Induction range
- Microwave/smart oven
- Electric espresso maker
- Smart refrigerator
- Solar Panels:
- LG Chem LG365N1K 365W Solar Panel (167 panels)
- Battery:
- Tesla Powerwall 2 Home Battery (5,444 batteries)