RENEWABLE ENERGY EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER GROUP DISCOUNTING

• US 20100057544A1
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SolarCity Corporation (Tesla Inc.)
• Original Assignee: SolarCity Corporation (Tesla Inc.)
• Inventors: Rive, Lyndon Robert, Ratner, Nicole Lombardo, Rive, Peter, Tarbell, Ben
• Application Number:
  US12/203,145
• Publication Number:
  US 20100057544A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0234 Rebates after completed purchase
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A centralized server managed by an employer receives reports of renewable energy generation from many remote generation sites belonging to its employees, and then summarizes and details the generation for certification by a certifying standards process. Renewable energy power generation monitors are placed at independent remote locations owned by the employees that collectively report to the server any fractional units of renewable energy power generation represented in aggregate by particular REC'"'"'s traded on the e-trading platform. And, an ad-hoc sellers consortium automatically aggregates fractional and small units of REC'"'"'s into marketable lots according to individual preferences of participating small sellers, and the marketable lots of REC'"'"'s are offered for sale on the e-trading platform.

Claims

1. A system for aggregating employee solar energy credits, selling them to their employer, and distributing any cash proceeds to the employees and any green credits to the employer, comprising:

an Internet server for collecting renewable energy generation reports from a plurality of solar power installations at various employees'"'"' homes distributed in an area;

a computer processor for making new renewable energy certificates (REC'"'"'s) in marketable lot sizes by accumulating reports of fractions of megawatt-hours generated by said solar power installations, and for transferring said REC'"'"'s to said employer, and for selling said REC'"'"'s on a market created by the employer;

a payout process forwards any cash proceeds of REC sales to said employees; and

a disbursement forwards any corresponding green credits to said employer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a renewable energy installation at said employer'"'"'s location with a size of generating capacity that determined the acquisition costs to said employees for each of their respective solar power installations.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an e-trading platform and web-presence accessible on the Internet and for providing buyers and sellers of REC'"'"'s a mechanism for trading;

a certifying standards process for automatically certifying the generation of a unit of renewable energy according to a particular legal standard, and for attaching such certification to each REC forwarded to the e-trading platform; and

a mechanism for collecting fractional units of renewable energy generation proof into whole units and lots suitable for certification by the certifying standards process and selling on the e-trading platform.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising:

a brokerage mechanism for acquiring, aggregating, and selling REC'"'"'s obtained from the certifying standards process and for selling lots of REC'"'"'s on the e-trading platform.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein aggregate information on the amount of renewable energy generated by employee owned or employer sponsored systems is displayed for marketing and employee morale.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a centralized server for receiving reports of renewable energy generation from a plurality of remote generation sites, and for summarizing and detailing said generation for certification by the certifying standards process.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

a plurality of renewable energy power generation monitors at independent remote locations that collectively report fractional units of renewable energy power generation that are represented in aggregate by particular REC'"'"'s traded on the e-trading platform.

8. The trading system of claim 6, further comprising:

an ad-hoc sellers consortium for automatically aggregating fractional and small units of REC'"'"'s into marketable lots according to individual preferences of participating small sellers;

wherein, said marketable lots of REC'"'"'s are offered for sale on the e-trading platform.

9. A discounting method that allows an employer to promote and stimulate its employees to install solar energy systems at a group discount that increases as more employees participate, comprising:

installing a solar energy system at an employer'"'"'s location;

basing any discounts employees of said employer will receive on the size of said employer'"'"'s installation;

individually contracting with employees to install individual solar energy systems each with a power generation monitors for REC reporting;

wherein, the more employees that install solar systems, the more the group of employees and employer as a whole receive further discounts on their respective installations.

10. The discounting method of claim 9, further comprising:

sending an automated email message from said employer to its employees which details a corresponding solar energy installation discount plan.

11. A business model for aggregating employee solar energy credits, selling them to their employer, and distributing any cash proceeds to the employees and any green credits to the employer, comprising:

monitoring renewable energy generation and with monitors installed at a plurality of remote installations;

automatically reporting data from said monitors to centralized servers that log and certify the production of fractional units of renewable energy;

using an Internet server for collecting renewable energy generation reports from a plurality of solar power installations at various employees'"'"' homes distributed in an area;

accumulating fractional units of qualifying energy produced by many relatively small renewable installations into minimum lot sizes required for certification, trading, and selling;

making new renewable energy certificates (REC'"'"'s) in marketable lot sizes by accumulating reports of fractions of megawatt-hours generated by said solar power installations, and for transferring said REC'"'"'s to said employer, and for selling said REC'"'"'s on a market created by the employer;

paying out any cash proceeds of REC sales to said employees;

forwarding any corresponding green credits to said employer.

14. The business model of claim 11, further comprising:

guarantying quality of the lots and the trades with their large enterprise reputation and credit worthiness, wherein the trading can be in renewable energy portfolios, emission offsets, carbon dioxide offsets, and other environmental attributes.

12. The business model of claim 12, further comprising:

issuing REC'"'"'s denominated in megawatt-hours of energy as proof that such amount has been produced from an accumulation of many renewable energy sources each reporting less than one megawatt-hour of energy production.

13. The business model of claim 12, further comprising:

brokering for buyers and sellers to trade quickly and easily an online auction website constructed and maintained on the Internet as a centralized clearing house.

15. An incentive program for an employer to collect and sell renewable energy certificates (REC'"'"'s) from its employees, comprising:

an e-trading platform and web-presence accessible on the Internet and for providing buyers and sellers of REC'"'"'s a mechanism for trading;

a certifying standards process for automatically certifying the generation of a unit of renewable energy according to a particular legal standard, and for attaching such certification to each REC forwarded to the e-trading platform;

a mechanism for collecting fractional units of renewable energy generation proof into whole units and lots suitable for certification by the certifying standards process and selling on the e-trading platform;

a brokerage mechanism for acquiring, aggregating, and selling REC'"'"'s obtained from the certifying standards process and for selling lots of REC'"'"'s on the e-trading platform;

a centralized server managed by an employer for receiving reports of renewable energy generation from a plurality of remote generation sites belonging to its employees, and for summarizing and detailing said generation for certification by the certifying standards process;

a plurality of renewable energy power generation monitors at independent remote locations owned by said employees that collectively report to the server any fractional units of renewable energy power generation represented in aggregate by particular REC'"'"'s traded on the e-trading platform;

an ad-hoc sellers consortium for automatically aggregating fractional and small units of REC'"'"'s into marketable lots according to individual preferences of participating small sellers, and said marketable lots of REC'"'"'s are offered for sale on the e-trading platform.

16. The employer incentive program of claim 16, wherein employer purchases of REC'"'"'s is explicitly tied to continued employment of the employee.

17. The employer incentive program of claim 16, further comprising:

a matching program that provides free solar energy for every kilowatt of solar power installed by associated community members through the program.