This long work of imagination is a culmination of years of writing about two characters, cousins Barb and Debbie: Barbara Catherin Owens and Deborah Jean Magee. Born in south-eastern Arkansas, Barb and Debbie haunted Amber Nicole Brooks until she initiated them into the world of fiction in an initial short story set in 1970. Since then, many stories, ranging from the 1960s to 1990s, have been born of these characters’ exploits, despair, and erotic encounters. In a drastic overhaul of prose, Amber has reworked the episodes of these characters lives into one long, linear narrative, a thing some folks might perhaps characterize as a novel.

Recent trends in the energy sector have provided opportunities in the research of alternative energy sources and optimization of systems that harness these energy sources. With the rising cost of fossil fuel and rising concern about detrimental effects that fossil fuel consumption has on the environment, electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent. A study put out in 2009 gives a prediction that in the year 2025, 20% of new vehicles will be PHEVs.[1] As energy providers become more concerned about a growing population and diminishing energy source, they are looking into alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. Much of this is done on a large scale with vast amounts of land used for solar or wind farms to provide energy to the grid. However, as population grows, requirements of the physical components of a power transmission system will become more demanding and the need for remote micro-grids will become more prevalent. Micro-grids are essentially smaller subsystems of a distribution system that provide power to a confined group of loads, or households. Using the idea of micro grid technology, a solar charging station can be used as a source to provide energy for the immediate surroundings, or also to electric vehicles that are demanding energy from the panels. Solar charging stations are becoming very popular, however the need for improvement and optimization of these systems is needed. This thesis will present a method for redesigning the overall architecture of the controls and power electronics of typical carports so that efficiency, reliability and modularity are achieved. Specifically, a typical carport, as seen commonly today, has been built on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. This iii carport was designed in such a way that shifting from conventional charging methods is made easy while preserving the fundamental requirements of a practical solar carport.