SOLAR PANEL WATTAGE DETERMINATION SYSTEM

• US 20150269664A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Opower, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Davidson, John Morgan McLellan
• Application Number:
  US14/466,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20150269664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications

Abstract

Techniques for solar panel wattage determination are provided. A computing device can determine a potential wattage output of a candidate solar panel array using insolation data for a corresponding geographic region, and determine potential energy consumption for a property of a utility customer in the corresponding geographic region using usage data from the property. The computing device can adjust a size of the candidate solar panel array to vary the potential wattage output, and apply a different rate plan to the potential energy consumption for each adjustment to the potential wattage output. The computing device can determine that one of the wattage output adjustments yields a cost efficiency metric that is less than a predetermined threshold. In turn, the computing device provides a notification of the candidate solar panel array corresponding to the cost efficiency metric being less than the predetermined threshold as a recommendation to the corresponding utility customer.

Claims

1. A computing device for solar panel wattage determination, the computing device comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

obtain insolation data for a corresponding geographic location, the insolation data relating to a total amount of solar radiation energy received on a surface area of a candidate solar panel array during a specified time period in the corresponding geographic location;

determine a potential wattage output from the candidate solar panel array based on the insolation data and a rating of the candidate solar panel array, the potential wattage output corresponding to a size of the candidate solar panel array;

determine usage data relating to a gross amount of energy consumed by at least one of a property or a component of the property, the property associated with a corresponding utility customer in the corresponding geographic location;

determine a net energy consumption based at least in part on a difference between the usage data and the potential wattage output;

determine that the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array provides a cost efficiency metric that is less than a predetermined threshold, the cost efficiency metric relating to a projected financial benefit to the corresponding utility customer;

generate a message including an indication of the candidate solar panel array with the adjustment corresponding to the cost efficiency metric that is less than the predetermined threshold; and

provide the message as a recommendation to the corresponding utility customer.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine a cost associated with a third party installation of the candidate solar panel array at the property, and wherein the size or the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array is adjusted based on the cost associated with the third party installation of the solar panel array.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the usage data is based at least in part on an energy usage history of the corresponding utility customer, the energy usage history relating to one or more of an average usage rate for a specified number of months, a usage rate during the specified time period for one or more previous years, an average usage rate for a particular weekday or weekend, and usage rates for one or more months preceding the specified time period.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the usage data relating to energy consumed by the component of the property is obtained from at least one of a usage monitoring device associated with the component or a disaggregation of the usage data corresponding to the property.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

adjust incrementally one or more of the size or the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array to vary the net energy consumption; and

apply a different rate plan of a plurality of rate plans to the net energy consumption for each incremental adjustment to the size or change in the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array;

6. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining a potential energy contribution from a candidate solar panel array based at least in part on insolation data for a corresponding geographic region;

determining a potential energy consumption relating to energy consumed by a property of a corresponding utility customer, the property located within the corresponding geographic region;

combining the potential energy contribution with the potential energy consumption to determine a net energy consumption;

determining a cost efficiency metric relating to a projected financial benefit to the corresponding utility customer based at least in part on one or more adjustments to the net energy consumption; and

providing a notification including an indication of the solar panel array with the adjustment corresponding to the cost efficiency metric as a recommendation to the corresponding utility customer.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

adjusting incrementally one or more of a size or a potential energy contribution of the candidate solar panel array to vary the net energy consumption; and

applying a different rate plan of a plurality of rate plans to the net energy consumption for each incremental adjustment to the size or the potential energy contribution of the candidate solar panel array.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising determining that one of the adjustments to the candidate solar panel array provides the cost efficiency metric to be less than a predetermined threshold.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

sending data to a client device to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of the client device, the prompt including one or more options relating to the one or more adjustments to the candidate solar panel array; and

receiving an input based at least in part on the prompt, the input including a selection of at least one of the one or more options, the candidate solar panel array being provided as part of the recommendation using the selected one or more options.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the prompt includes a request for billing information for one or more billing cycles associated with the corresponding utility customer;

and

receiving an input based at least in part on the prompt, the input including the billing information for at least one of the one or more billing cycles, the potential energy consumption being determined using the billing information received via the input.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

selecting at least one of the one or more adjustments to the candidate solar panel array;

providing the one or more adjustments as options to cause a prompt to be displayed on a user interface of a client device; and

receiving an input based at least in part on the prompt, the input including a confirmation for the one or more adjustments.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein determining the potential energy consumption comprises determining future behavioral usage using at least one of an energy usage history of the corresponding utility customer, an energy usage history of related utility customers, or energy usage history of utility customers similar to the corresponding utility customer.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the insolation data is determined using at least one of historical weather data or forecasted weather data associated with the corresponding geographical region, the historical weather data and the forecasted weather data relating to weather during a time period that corresponds to a current billing cycle.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the one or more recommendations include information for obtaining a cost estimate from a third party service provider to install the candidate solar panel array at the property.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the notification includes information relating to the candidate solar panel array applied with a different size and a respective rate plan for each change in the net energy consumption.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising:

associating the net energy consumption with a rate plan to determine a cost of energy consumption; and

adjusting the potential energy contribution to vary the cost of energy consumption.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the notification includes guidance on one or more adjustments to a size of the candidate solar panel array and corresponding adjustments to the cost of energy consumption.

18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions for solar panel wattage determination on a computing device, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

determine a potential wattage output of a candidate solar panel array using insolation data for a corresponding geographic region;

determine a potential energy consumption for a property of a corresponding utility customer based at least in part on usage data of the property, the property located within the corresponding geographic region;

adjust a size of the candidate solar panel array to vary the potential wattage output;

apply a different rate plan of a plurality of rate plans to the potential energy consumption for each change in the potential wattage output;

determine that one of the changes in the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array provides a cost efficiency metric that is less than a predetermined threshold; and

provide a notification including an indication of the candidate solar panel array corresponding to the cost efficiency metric that is less than the predetermined threshold as a recommendation to the corresponding utility customer.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to determine a cost associated with a third party installation of the candidate solar panel array at the property, and wherein the size or the potential wattage output of the candidate solar panel array is adjusted based on the cost associated with the third party installation of the solar panel array.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the predetermined threshold relates to a ratio of an installed cost of the candidate solar panel array to a generation capacity of the candidate solar panel array.