[sudo-discuss] fyi: Little Box Challenge: Build A Smaller Inverter

[Phil Wolff]

https://www.littleboxchallenge.com/ is offering $1,000,000 to the team that
designs and builds the smallest inverter. Is there a sudoer contingent
interested in forming a team to explore the barriers to making inverters
smaller?


What the inverter needs to do
>
> The winning inverter will be the one that achieves the highest power
> density and meeting a list of other specifications, as determined by a
> panel of judges, while undergoing testing for 100 hours.
>
> In brief, the other specifications are :
>
>    - Must be able to handle up to 2 kVA loads
>    - Must achieve a power density of equal to or greater than 50 W/in3
>    - Must be able to handle loads with power factors from 0.7–1, leading
>    and lagging in an islanded mode
>    - Must be in a rectangular metal enclosure of no more than 40 in3
>    - Will be taking in 450 V DC power in series with a 10 Ω resistor
>    - Must output 240 V, 60 Hz AC single phase power
>    - Must have a total harmonic distortion + noise on both voltage and
>    current of < 5%
>    - Must have an input ripple current of < 20%
>    - Must have an input ripple voltage of < 3%
>    - Must have a DC-AC efficiency of greater than 95%
>    - Must maintain a temperature of no more than 60°C during operation
>    everywhere on the outside of the device that can be touched.
>    - Must conform to Electromagnetic Compliance standards as set out in
>    FCC Part 15 B
>    - Can not use any external source of cooling (e.g. water) other than
>    air
>    - Does not require galvanic isolation
>
> Our testing philosophy is to not look inside the box. You provide us with
> a box that has 5 wires coming out of it: two DC inputs, two AC outputs and
> grounding connection and we only monitor what goes into and comes out of
> those wires, along with the temperature of the outside of your box, over
> the course of 100 hours of testing. The inverter will be operating in an
> islanded more—that is, not tied or synced to an external grid. The loads
> will be dynamically changing throughout the course of the testing, similar
> to what you may expect to see in a residential setting.
>
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