Unit-Level Energy Marketplace for Non-Grid Allocation and Billing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current non-grid energy production systems lack visibility into individual community member usage, limiting flexibility in optimizing energy production and distribution, and there is a gap in effectively tracking and valuing non-grid energy assets.
Innovation Solution
A non-grid energy marketplace system that uses hardware sensors and software to collect and analyze time-series energy data, enabling accurate tracking and valuation of energy assets, and facilitating real-time allocation and monetization of energy production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current non-grid energy production systems are used, then energy production can be achieved, but visibility into individual community member usage is limited, reducing flexibility in optimizing energy allocation
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments energy tracking and allocation at the individual unit level rather than aggregating at the community level. Each unit's energy consumption, production, and storage are tracked separately through dedicated sensors and meters, enabling operators to see granular usage data for each community member while maintaining overall system coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensors monitor energy flow in real-time, the platform processes this data to determine unit-level consumption and production, and operators receive actionable insights that enable dynamic optimization of energy allocation. This feedback mechanism transforms raw data into meaningful information for decision-making.
2Measurement precision
If detailed unit-level energy tracking is implemented, then accurate cost allocation and billing can be achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The energy marketplace platform serves multiple functions within a single system: it tracks energy consumption, monitors production, calculates allocations, determines pricing, and enables billing. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require separate systems, reducing overall complexity while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The energy marketplace platform acts as an intermediary layer between the physical energy infrastructure (sensors, meters, grid) and the business logic (pricing, allocation, billing). This intermediary abstracts complex calculations and data processing, presenting simplified interfaces to both operators and community members while handling the computational complexity in the background.
3Productivity
If real-time energy allocation optimization is enabled, then energy efficiency improves, but requires advanced tracking and valuation capabilities that increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary valuation and allocation calculations in advance based on predicted energy production and consumption patterns. By pre-calculating optimal allocation strategies and pricing mechanisms, the system enables real-time optimization without requiring complex instantaneous computations, thereby improving efficiency while managing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-grid energy marketplace system is provided for at least one unit, e.g., a dwelling, building, or other structure that shelters an entity such as a person, family, or business that consumes energy. The system comprises at least one gateway coupled to a plurality of sensors configured to collect time-series energy data for each unit at a site that has at least one non-grid energy system. The time-series energy data can include unit-level non-grid energy consumption data and, if available, unit-level grid energy consumption data. An energy information processor is configured to communicate with at least one gateway via a remote network to receive and process the time-series energy data to determine time-based non-grid energy consumption for each unit. The system can be configured to perform a non-grid energy marketplace method that carries out the above processes and functions.