Trade Studies for Evaluating Lunar Surface Power Architectures
Author(s)
Advisor(s)
Editor(s)
Collections
Supplementary to:
Permanent Link
Abstract
It is necessary to have a flexible power architecture for the implementation of a sustainable lunar base at the lunar South Pole. Several power architectures alternatives consisting of several technology options have been proposed. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive trade analysis of comparative sizing for those options. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of surface and elevated solar panels for power generation, DC cables, AC cables, and power beaming for power distribution, and batteries and fuel cells for energy storage, which helps understand the configuration for power architectures that provide the most optimal solution with regards to landed mass. The comparison is done by using illumination profiles of specific lunar sites and evaluating that at differing heights above the ground.
The method of combining time-dependent illumination data with static system sizing is detailed in the paper. The case study compares the different architectures that are possible using all combinations of the technologies that are discussed. This study evaluated each architecture across a wide range of customer power demands, transmission distances, and transmission voltages. Elevated solar panels and regenerative fuel cells were found to be the best option across all cases. The case study determined that there is no best-in-class power distribution system and that each one has portion of the design space in which they are most mass efficient.
Sponsor
Date
2025-01
Extent
Resource Type
Text
Resource Subtype
Paper
Rights Statement
Unless otherwise noted, all materials are protected under U.S. Copyright Law and all rights are reserved