System and method for hybrid conservation of fossil fuel

• US 7,860,808 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Peters, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mooneyham; Janice A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Riviere; Heidi
• Application Number:
  US11/325,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156257A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,818 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/500, 701/25, 180/2.2
• US Class Current: 705/500
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A system and method that optimizes use of renewable energy sources using modern satellites and telemetry to reduce the impact of renewable energy limitations. Location data corresponding to the device is retrieved using GPS technology and a GPS receiver which is located proximate to the device. Renewable energy generators are identified and include generation parameters that indicate the efficiency and output of the devices. Environmental energy factors are retrieved based upon the location data. The amount of available renewable energy is calculated based upon the environmental factors and the renewable energy generation parameters corresponding to each of the renewable energy generators. A travel plan that contains the user'"'"'s travel intentions can be used. The travel plan indicates future location data as well as device idle time. Collected energy can fuel batteries and can also be used to provide hydrogen to a hydrogen fuel cell.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving, from a nonvolatile storage media, a travel plan corresponding to an energy-consuming device, wherein the energy-consuming device moves along a route between a first location and a second location indicated in the travel plan, and wherein the energy-consuming device includes a fossil-fuel based generator;

identifying one or more renewable energy generators accessible to the energy-consuming device, wherein each of the renewable energy generators includes a renewable energy type and one or more generation parameters;

calculating, by a processor, an amount of energy needed for the energy-consuming device to travel from the first location to the second location;

retrieving one or more environmental energy factors based upon the route and the renewable energy type of each renewable energy generator, wherein one of the retrieved environmental energy factors comprises predicted solar energy data available while the energy-consuming devices travels along the route, the predicted solar energy data comprising forecasted available sunlight data and a forecasted cloudiness rating for one or more intermediate locations between the first location and the second location;

retrieving one or more solar energy conversion parameters corresponding to a solar power generator, the solar power generator being one of the identified renewable energy generators;

calculating, by the processor, a first amount of renewable energy available to the energy-consuming device while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, wherein the processor calculates the first amount of renewable energy based upon the predicted solar energy data for each of the intermediate locations and the retrieved solar energy conversion parameters;

determining that the amount of energy needed is greater than the first amount of renewable energy available;

in response to the determining, calculating an optimal amount of time to run a fossil-fuel based generator; and

running the fossil-fuel based generator for the calculated optimal amount of time.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that the energy-consuming device will be idle for an idle time period at the first location;

retrieving one or more additional environmental energy factors corresponding to the first location; and

calculating an additional amount of renewable energy that will be generated at the first location during the idle time period, wherein the calculated additional amount of renewable energy is based upon the additional environmental energy factors corresponding to the first location and the generation parameters corresponding to each of the renewable energy generators.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

wherein determining that the amount of energy needed is greater than the first amount of renewable energy available further comprises adding the additional amount of renewable energy to the first amount of renewable energy available.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

requesting, over a computer network, the environmental energy factors from a weather server computer; and

receiving, over the computer network, the environmental energy factors from the weather server computer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein a second one of the environmental energy factors includes predicted wind data available while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, the predicted wind data comprising a predicted average wind speed for each of the intermediate locations, the method further comprising:

retrieving one or more wind energy conversion parameters corresponding to a wind energy generator, the wind energy generator being one of the identified renewable energy generators; and

estimating an amount of wind energy that will be generated while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, wherein the estimated amount of wind energy is based upon the predicted average wind speed for each of the intermediate locations and the retrieved wind energy conversion parameters.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

generating electricity from the renewable energy generators;

separating hydrogen from a bonded state using the generated electricity; and

fueling a hydrogen fuel cell with the separated hydrogen.

7. A program product stored in a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium having computer instructions stored thereon that, when executed by an information handling system, cause the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

retrieving, from a nonvolatile storage media, a travel plan corresponding to an energy-consuming device, wherein the energy-consuming device moves along a route between a first location and a second location indicated in the travel plan, and wherein the energy-consuming device includes a fossil-fuel based generator;

identifying one or more renewable energy generators accessible to the energy-consuming device, wherein each of the renewable energy generators includes a renewable energy type and one or more generation parameters;

calculating, by a processor, an amount of energy needed for the energy-consuming device to travel from the first location to the second location;

retrieving one or more environmental energy factors based upon the route and the renewable energy type of each renewable energy generator, wherein one of the retrieved environmental energy factors comprises predicted solar energy data available while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, the predicted solar energy data comprising forecasted available sunlight data and a forecasted cloudiness rating for one or more intermediate locations between the first location and the second location;

retrieving one or more solar energy conversion parameters corresponding to a solar power generator, the solar power generator being one of the identified renewable energy generators;

calculating, by the processor, a first amount of renewable energy available to the energy-consuming device while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, wherein the processor calculates the first amount of renewable energy based upon the predicted solar energy data for each of the intermediate locations and the retrieved solar energy conversion parameters;

determining that the amount of energy needed is greater than the first amount of renewable energy available;

in response to the determining, calculating an optimal amount of time to run a fossil-fuel based generator; and

running the fossil-fuel based generator for the calculated optimal amount of time.

8. The program product of claim 7 wherein the actions further comprise:

determining that the energy-consuming device will be idle for an idle time period at the first location;

retrieving one or more additional environmental energy factors corresponding to the first location; and

calculating an additional amount of renewable energy that will be generated at the first location during the idle time period, wherein the calculated additional amount of renewable energy is based upon the additional environmental energy factors corresponding to the first location and the generation parameters corresponding to each of the renewable energy generators.

9. The program product of claim 8 wherein the actions further comprise:

wherein determining that the amount of energy needed is greater than the first amount of renewable energy available further comprises adding the additional amount of renewable energy to the first amount of renewable energy available.

10. The program product of claim 7 wherein the actions further comprise:

requesting, over a computer network, the environmental energy factors from a weather server computer; and

receiving, over the computer network, the environmental energy factors from the weather server computer.