System and method for provisioning energy systems

• US 9,279,602 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2008
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pineapple Energy LLC, Sungevity Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sungevity Inc.
• Inventors: Kennedy, Daniel Ian, Pryor, Adam, Birch, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, M Good
• Application Number:
  US12/681,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,710 Days
• Field of Search: 345/440, 345/619, 345/629
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 2201/00 Prediction; Simulation
• CPC Class Codes: F24S 50/00 Arrangements for controlling solar heat collectors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/06 Power analysis or power optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/13 Architectural design, e.g. computer-aided architectural design [CAAD] related to design of buildings, bridges, landscapes, production plants or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/10 Photovoltaic [PV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/20 Solar thermal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/40 Solar thermal energy, e.g. solar towers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy

Abstract

The invention provides systems and methods for provisioning a site with an energy system such as a solar energy system. A system according to an embodiment of the invention comprises a user interface module providing a graphical user interface for receiving information from a user, for example a potential purchaser. The information includes location information for the site to be provisioned. An image retrieval module is coupled to the user interface module and to a source of geographical information. The image retrieval module retrieves at least one image of the site corresponding to the location provided by the user. A sizing module is configured to enable a user to measure an installation surface represented in the image. Energy system components are selected based on the measurements.

Claims

1. A system for measuring a real world structure to be provisioned with solar panels using images including the real world structure, the system comprising:

a display unit configured to display a first image and a second image including the real world structure;

metadata for the first image representing a scale of the first image with respect to the real world;

a displayable, user-adjustable measuring tool capable of providing measurements adequate for installing a solar panel, the measuring tool calibrated in accordance with the scale such that user adjustment of the measuring tool with respect to the displayed first and second images of the real world structure provides a measurement of the real world structure, wherein the user adjustment of the measuring tool includes at least one of positioning, rotating, and scaling the measuring tool to match at least a portion of the real world structure in both the displayed first and second images when the adjusted measuring tool is superimposed over the real world structure in the displayed first and second images, wherein the second image is of a different direction than the first image.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the displayed first and second images including the real world structure include a roof of the real world structure and wherein the measuring tool is operable to measure an area of at least a portion of the roof.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the displayed first and second images including the real world structure include a roof of the real world structure and wherein the measuring tool is operable to measure pitch of the roof.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a source of images of real world structures, wherein the system is configured to receive and display selected images of the real world structure from the source of images;

a source of corresponding scale information for the images, the system configured to receive corresponding scale information for at least one of the selected images; and

the measuring tool calibrated in accordance with the received corresponding scale information.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising an image acquisition unit including an input for receiving structure location information from a user, the image acquisition unit selecting the first and second images of the real world structure from the source of images based on the received structure location information.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the image acquisition unit includes an input for receiving the structure location information from a user computer system via the Internet.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a specification unit communicating with the measuring tool;

a source of energy consumption information for the real world structure, communicating with the specification unit; and

the specification unit providing specifications for the solar panels based on information received from the source of energy consumption information and the measurement of the real world structure provided by the measuring tool.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a source of solar panel information configured to communicate with the specification unit to provide information about selected solar panels for installation on the real world structure, the information selected based at least in part on the specifications.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the information provided by the source of solar panel information includes an image of the selected solar panels and wherein the image is provided to the display unit for superimposed display with the displayed first and second images of the real world structure.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the measuring tool further comprises at least one displayed length-adjustable line segment extendable along a roof edge of the real world structure to measure a length of the roof edge.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the displayed first and second images of the real world structure include an image of a roof and wherein the adjustable measuring tool comprises two line segments and wherein adjustment by a user of a length of one of the two line segments results in an automatic corresponding adjustment of the other of the two line segments in accordance with the scale, such that the user is enabled to measure an area of the roof by adjusting the measuring tool.

12. A method for measuring a real world structure for installation of solar panels comprising:

displaying a first image of the real world structure on a display device;

providing an interactive measuring tool capable of providing measurements adequate for installing a solar panel for display on the display device;

displaying the interactive measuring tool on the display device;

enabling a human operator to manipulate the interactive measuring tool with respect to the displayed first image of the real world structure to indicate a dimension of the real world structure displayed in the first image, wherein manipulating the measuring tool includes at least one of positioning, rotating, and scaling the measuring tool to match at least a portion of the real world structure when the adjusted measuring tool is superimposed over the real world structure in the displayed first image;

displaying a second image of the real world structure on the display device;

enabling the human operator to manipulate the interactive measuring tool with respect to the displayed second image of the real world structure such that the measuring tool also matches the portion of the real world structure when the adjusted measuring tool is superimposed over the real world structure in the displayed second image, wherein the second image is of a different direction than the first image; and

providing a measurement of the real world structure based on the manipulation of the measuring tool with respect to the displayed first and second images.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein enabling the human operator to manipulate the interactive measuring tool to indicate the dimension comprises enabling the human operator to align the interactive measuring tool along a roof edge in the displayed first and second images of the real world structure.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving scale information for at least one of the first and second images of the real world structure, and

wherein providing a measurement is carried out based, at least in part, on the received scale information and at least in part on the indicated dimension of the real world structure displayed in the first and second images.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising automatically determining components to comprise an installed solar energy system based, at least in part on the provided measurement.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising receiving energy use information for the real world structure, and

wherein automatically determining components is based at least in part on the measurement of the real world structure and at least in part on the received energy use information for the real world structure.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising enabling the human operator to manipulate the interactive measuring tool to measure roof pitch.

18. A method for rapidly provisioning a real world structure with solar panels comprising:

receiving structure location information from a first human operator system;

selecting a first image and a second image of the real world structure for display to a second human operator on a first display device;

displaying an interactive measuring tool capable of providing measurements adequate for installing a solar panel on the first display device and enabling the second human operator to generate the measurements of the real world structure adequate for installing the solar panel by manipulating the displayed interactive measuring tool with respect to the displayed first and second images of the real world structure, wherein manipulating the measuring tool includes at least one of positioning, rotating, and scaling the measuring tool to match at least a portion of the real world structure when the adjusted measuring tool is superimposed over the real world structure in both of the displayed first and second images, wherein the second image is of a different direction than the first image; and

evaluating the real world structure for provisioning with the solar panels based, at least in part on the measurements.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising displaying an image of the real world structure to the first human operator system on a second display device.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising receiving energy consumption information from the first human operator system and evaluating the real world structure for provisioning with the solar panels based, at least in part, on the energy consumption information.