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GenerationZ

Reimagining Grid Operations for the 21st Century

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What is GenerationZ?

Using the forces of free market, GenerationZ is a cloud-based power trading platform that leverages advantages of distributed renewables generation to vastly reduce electricity loss and improve grid stability.

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The Problem?

Time of Production of energy does not match up with time of Use - renewables exacerbate that

Nor are there energy storage solutions available at competitive prices

Smaller owners of distributed generation systems cannot compete on the open market; rates for net metering are either non-existent or are a flat rate that do not account for peak surges

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The Solution?

Transmission and Distribution Line Operator

Utility Company(Generation)

Owner of home energy storage solution

Owner of distribution generation system

Consumer

Smart Device

ask

bid

price

Detects need of energy and submits buy order

Regularly sends in ask price

Detects surplus and submits an ask price

Order-book operated and stored on the cloud

Transmission line operators charge a fee for electricity through their network

Discuss benefits for each stakeholder

E.g. Energy department problems about the grid: transmission lines

We aim to use trading platform where individual owners of energy production methods like solar panels would bid to sell excess power directly to consumers using a smart device. This will be attached to their operation to ask and bid on a trading-engine-like order book, and empower and encourage people to adopt solar power.

This is a win-win-win situation. The producer of this power would obviously profit, and the power companies operating transmission and distribution would benefit as well by charging a fee on the capacity transmitted through their lines, and the consumer would gain lower prices because of a more competitive market. And we would too - by operating the order book and data analysis on the proprietary data uploaded from the smart devices and order book to better assist power companies in their operations.

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Transmission/Delivery Revenue

Every energy transaction made through this system gives a small “tax” to the company that maintains the transmission and delivery lines.
Because electricity use is so ubiquitous in the 21st century, this is a guaranteed source of income with minimal risk

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Incentive to invest in energy storage

Rapid growth in solar development = increasing need for energy storage
Because net metering doesn’t account for supply and demands, there is currently no incentive to invest in energy storage as a consumer
A free market bidding system would enable people and institutions with energy storage units to buy electricity for cheap at off-peak hours and sell them back during peak hours, creating passive income

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Benefits to consumer

Increase in supply: a free market system means competition and supply and demand dictate rates, not regional monopolies -- leading to lower rates
Solar and other renewables’ low operating cost is an advantage for them:

Allows more competitive bid prices
Leads to high renewable energy usage and lower prices for consumers

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Proof-Of-Concept

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Target Market and Opportunity

Grid Operators:

From utilities company to distributors
Major players include:

Duke Energy
NRG Energy
Southern Company
American Electric Power
ITC Holdings

Owners of Distributed Generation and storage systems

⅙ of US’s existing power plant capacity

20.4GW produced last year through distributed solar
1.84GW through distributed storage

12 million units
1 million homes have solar panels installed

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Multifaceted Revenue Model

To grid operators:

Licensing technology and infrastructure
Performing data analytics/selling data to improve grid performance

In general:

A portion of each transaction is paid as a fee to GenerationZ
Data analytics

To home owners/organizations:

Rent out energy storage systems and or DG systems
Or adopt micropayment plan with guarantors

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Social Good

Creating Level playing field and disrupting power monopolies = lower prices for consumer
Drive down up front costs by:

Renting out DG systems and storage solutions
incorporating community solar business elements

Allowing for these families to generate passive income

(which leads to further increases in adoption of renewables in LMI communities)

Lead to a greener Earth!
Eventual move to blockchain contracts could enable complete decentralization

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Future Plans

Continued Prototype development
More conversations with faculty and related professionals to learn more about industry
Testing in states w/ high concentrations of solar installations
Incentivize LMI involvement in DG installation

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Have any questions?

Email jimmy.xiao@duke.edu

Or

winston.yau@duke.edu