Co-founded by the husband-and-wife team of Dr. Stephen and Kristin Sampayan using equipment accumulated in their garage over lifetimes dedicated to electrical and mechanical engineering respectively, Opcondys was built to enable the next generation of power electronics. Their device - known as the Optical Transconductance Varistor, or OTV - could fundamentally change how power is switched across the U.S. electrical grid and enable greater penetration of renewable energy sources.

----

Opcondys will develop a high-voltage power converter design for energy storage systems connected directly to the power grid. Opcondys' converter design will use a modified switched multiplier topology that will allow connection to utility transmission lines without intervening step-up transformers. It uses a photonic, wide bandgap power switching device called the Optical Transconductance Varistor. This is a fast, high-voltage, bidirectional device which reduces the number of circuit elements required for charging and discharging the storage element. By operating at 100 kHz it is possible to increase efficiency to 99% compared to 95-98% efficiency of traditional converters. The system also reduces the size of the passive elements by 50% and, because of the optical control, mitigates electromagnetic interference issues. The elimination of step-up transformers further reduces system size, and can enable a lower cost than existing systems. If successful, project developments could open the door to increased integration of grid-level energy storage.

свернуть