Renewable energy consumption management using renewable energy consumption coupons

• US 20120054017A1
• Filed: 08/30/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Original Assignee: Bindu Rama Rao
• Inventors: Rao, Bindu Rama
• Application Number:
  US12/807,168
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054017A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.39
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/14 Marketing, i.e. market research and analysis, surveying, promotions, advertising, buyer profiling, customer management or rewards

Abstract

A distribution system ensuring that the amount of renewable energy coupons distributed is correlated to and commensurate with the aggregate amount of renewable energy generated by the plurality of renewable energy generators. In general, the present invention makes it possible to securely authenticate a user and then permit renewable energy coupon purchases over the user'"'"'s laptop or mobile phone. It makes it possible for power generation data to be aggregated across several renewable energy power generating companies (and their systems) and collectively provide renewable energy coupons to all their customers, wherein the amount of coupons issued are in correlation to the actual amount of electricity generated across all of the renewable energy power generating companies.

Claims

1. A method for renewable energy consumption management, the method comprising:

issuing renewable energy consumption coupons, by a renewable energy generator company, for renewable energy consumption by a plurality of users, wherein the quantity of renewable energy consumption coupons is correlated to the amount of renewable energy produced by the renewable energy generator company;

acquiring of one of the renewable energy consumption coupons by one of the plurality of users;

monitoring of renewable energy consumed by the one of the plurality of users;

generating an energy consumption invoice for the one of the plurality of users factoring in the one of the renewable energy consumption coupons; and

incorporating the one of the renewable energy consumption coupons in a payment made by the of the plurality of users against the energy consumption invoice.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein monitoring of renewable energy consumption comprises:

reporting, automatically, an energy consumption data to centralized servers that track the consumption of fractional units of a qualifying renewable energy by the one of the plurality of users; and

accumulating data on fractional units of the qualifying renewable energy consumed by the one of the plurality of users.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the renewable energy consumption coupons are denominated in kilowatt-hours of energy for renewable energy produced from a plurality of renewable energy generator systems.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

aggregating data provided by a plurality of renewable energy generators to produce an aggregated renewable energy amount;

generating renewable energy consumption coupons for the plurality of renewable energy generators, wherein the total amount of renewable energy consumption coupons are correlated to the aggregated renewable energy amount; and

allocating a subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons to an individual distribution channel that promotes distribution of the subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons to a target group of users

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the individual distribution channel is a company that manufactures at least one of electrical appliances and electric vehicles.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein aggregating comprises:

determining energy production capacity of each of plurality of renewable energy generators;

getting periodic energy production reports from each of plurality of renewable energy generators; and

computing the aggregated renewable energy amount;

7. The method of claim 1 wherein acquiring comprises:

purchasing an energy consuming appliance or vehicle and receiving a supply of renewable energy consumption coupons; and

registering the supply of renewable energy consumption coupons received.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein acquiring comprises:

purchasing renewable energy consumption coupons on a website;

receiving the purchased renewable energy consumption coupons via email or as a download;

storing, optionally, the purchased renewable energy consumption coupons securely at a server for subsequent retrieval and redemption; and

registering optionally the purchased renewable energy consumption coupons.

9. A distribution system associated with renewable energy, the distribution system comprising:

renewable energy coupons that can be bought by users;

a distributing server and web-presence, accessible on the Internet, for providing buyers and sellers of renewable energy coupons a mechanism for requesting and dispensing renewable energy coupons;

a verification module for automatically verifying that the generation of a unit of renewable energy conforms to a generation standard, and for attaching a verification information to each of the renewable energy coupons that is dispensed on the distributing server;

a management module for aggregating fractional units of renewable energy generated by a plurality of renewable energy generators into lots suitable for allotment to users by means of the renewable energy coupons;

a sales module for selling renewable energy coupons on the distribution server wherein the amount of renewable energy coupons dispensed is commensurate with the amount of renewable energy generated in aggregate by the plurality of renewable energy generators; and

the distribution system ensuring that the amount of renewable energy coupons distributed is correlated to and commensurate with the aggregate amount of renewable energy generated by the plurality of renewable energy generators.

10. The distribution system of claim 9 wherein the distribution system further comprises:

a generation monitoring module that keeps track of the actual amount of renewable energy generated by a plurality of renewable energy generators;

a distribution monitoring module that keeps track of the volume of renewable energy coupons distributed; and

a redemption monitoring module that ensures that the volume of renewable energy coupons distributed is correlated to and commensurate with the actual amount of renewable energy generated.

11. The distribution system of claim 9 wherein the distribution system further comprising;

a demand aggregating module that collates and computes the overall demand for renewable energy coupons;

a pricing module that computes a current price for each unit of renewable energy based on data provided by the demand aggregating module; and

a customer reservation module that facilitates reserving a portion of the renewable energy coupons for specific customers who want to distribute them to their users based on a customized program.

12. The distribution system of claim 9 wherein the sales module facilitates purchase of renewable energy coupons by a manufacturer customer on behalf of a plurality of the manufacturer'"'"'s customers, and the subsequent distribution of those renewable energy coupons to the plurality of the manufacturer'"'"'s customers.

13. A renewable energy consumption management and distribution system comprising:

an aggregation module to aggregate data provided by a plurality of renewable energy generators to produce an aggregated renewable energy amount;

a coupon generation module for generating and distributing renewable energy consumption coupons wherein the total amount of renewable energy consumption coupons are correlated to the aggregated renewable energy amount;

a coupon reservation module that facilitates the allocation of a subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons to an individual promotion company that promotes distribution of the subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons to a target group of users; and

a coupon distribution module that facilitates the distribution of the subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons to the target group of users.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a centralized server for receiving reports of renewable energy generation from a plurality of renewable energy generator systems, for aggregating renewable energy generation data received from the plurality of renewable energy generator systems and for the dissemination of renewable energy consumption coupons; and

the centralized server hosting the coupon generation module and the coupon reservation module.

15. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a coupon sales module that facilitates sale of renewable energy consumption coupons to a plurality of consumers, wherein each of the plurality of consumers purchase at least one of the renewable energy consumption coupons and subsequently redeems the at least one of the renewable energy consumption coupons during a subsequent bill payment activity with a local utility company, the coupon sales module also facilitating the bill payment activity by means of validation support and settlement support.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising:

a coupon redemption module that facilitates redemption of the subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons by the target group of users.

17. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

a registration module that is used by the target group of users to register the distributed ones of the subset of the renewable energy consumption coupons prior to consumption of renewable energy;

the registration module facilitating the optional specification of a preferred primary and secondary form of renewable energy generation technology from the target group of users; and

the coupon redemption module facilitating the periodic bill payment, by each of the target group of users, incorporating the corresponding ones of renewable energy consumption coupons provided to each of the target group of users.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the system certifies those of the target group of users who successfully employ the associated renewable energy consumption coupons to pay for the entire energy consumed by a purchased appliance or vehicle as green consumers (GC).

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the system determines which of the target group of users are unable to successfully meet all their energy needs employing the renewable energy coupons.

20. The system of claim 19 further comprising:

a utility billing server interface that provides access to data maintained by a utility company, wherein the utility company maintains and manages an energy grid;

the utility billing server interface providing access to a utility company billing server associated with the utility company; and

the system conducting renewable energy coupon settlement with the utility company billing server, via the a utility billing server interface, when the utility company billing server accepts the renewable energy coupons redeemed by the target group of users as partial or complete payments for energy consumed and communicates the accepted renewable energy coupons for verification to the system.