Maura A
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at University of California, San Diego
Expertise
battery technology, renewable energy
Bio
Hello! I am Maura Appleberry, a PhD student at UC San Diego. From a young age, I was motivated to enable adoption of renewable energy through the development of energy storage. I wanted to help create battery storage for renewables when the sun isn't shining or wind isn't strong. This lead me through pursuing multiple internships working on solar + storage projects, determining optimal chemistries for batteries through data analysis, and eventually developing an energy storage system I helped install in the Caribbean. Most recently, intrigued by battery reuse, I worked on developing technology to monitor batteries in use and avoid explosions in battery systems developed from reused electric vehicle batteries. Aside from my career passions, I enjoy running, biking, and working on my car. I am also learning how to surf, now living in southern California. I play the piano as well. I also enjoy spending time with friends and family, and working on projects with them. Most recently, I helped my dad make a battery-powered Bluetooth speaker!Project ideas
Small Off-Grid Battery Bank
How can you build a small off-grid battery bank for your next camping trip? This project would involve investigating battery supplies, management tools, and potentially a small solar bank? Size and build your own small power bank!
Second Life for Home Battery Energy Storage
The cost of new batteries is often prohibitive for home owners to invest in energy storage at their homes, but how could this change if we reused batteries from electric vehicles? In this project, we can analyze the cost savings when using batteries from reuse compared to new batteries for installation of home energy storage systems. Students can use Excel or Matlab to calculate cost savings.
System Sizing: Optimizing Battery Size or Use for Home Applications
At the start of any energy storage project, we want to size a system based on need and cost. Create a calculator to calculate ideal energy storage size based on home load profiles (made public by the Open EI). Better yet, use electricity rates in your area, determine the best time to use energy from an energy storage system to minimize electricity costs.