Pulse: An initial prototype towards the Interface of Energy — Part I
By Robin Schu
The concept: An innovative prototype
The development objectives for the Interface of Energy are not so much about product visions. Instead, the Interface of Energy is much more a way of thinking, an idea. It is a mindset that we as a team use in our approach to the challenges of the new, digitalised energy market.
The goal is to use our expertise in human-centred user experience design to ensure that users enjoy their experience when interacting with the Interface of Energy. We want to offer the user a thorough understanding of energy-related data and seamless interaction — a notion that almost never appears in the digital universe of applications and services of any kind but that we feel is fundamental for developing intuitive software.
“The name “Pulse” is reflected in the app and represents the pulse of the home; quite simple and easy to understand.”
– Jens Läkamp, CEO, the peak lab.
Based on the results from our prototyping workshop, we have defined the following requirements for the Interface of Energy: we want to design content that offers users added value when dealing with their personal energy budget. We see five points that are essential: we want to visualize data streams and help people to understand and be aware of their energy management and to be able to interact with it and benefit from it.
The app: a communication tool
An initial prototype concept towards the Interface of Energy is the mobile application Pulse, which we introduced at the enera consortia meeting in Heidelberg. The prototypical iOS app was designed in collaboration with SAP. Developed on the basis of our workshop results and tailored for the end customers of the enera model region, the app serves as a data communication tool. It encourages members of the public to engage with the flexibility of the energy system. With the app, citizens can develop an awareness of their own “Netzdienlichkeit” or “service to the network” and their data sovereignty.
How does it work? We bundle the data streams to the premises, visualise them and that way they become visible to the user. The clear goal is to make the energy consumption more transparent for users so that they can act independently.
The collaboration: visualising data and sharing the processing power
One of the fundamental ideas behind Pulse: participating households are remunerated if they use energy outside of peak load times. To achieve this, an accounting service that calculates what are known as (micro) transaction services is needed. Our partner SAP Hybris Labs is responsible for this application.
The software giant has developed a service that can calculate a household’s energy consumption down to the second — genuine added value compared to conventional apps for energy suppliers who so far have not been able to visualise live data for household energy management.
The service is capable of even more: for example, users can use the app to detect surplus computing capacity from personal devices, such as a notebook, tablet or game console and allocate it to specific institutions. An idea that makes sense! Especially when it is used during times of the day when the network load is low — such as during the night. For example, the computing capacity can be used to support research institutions to generate algorithms using machine learning techniques, which in turn can help to promote innovative energy distribution. Not only does the end customer benefit, but the energy supplier wins too. Just exactly how this process might look is described by the staff at enera in their blog entry SAP Hybris Labs — machine learning in the context of enera.
The basis: a mega meter
A basic prerequisite for ensuring security in the supply of energy is the stability of the network. With the help of smart metering and flexible electricity tariffs that are built upon them as well as smart home applications, production and consumptions patterns can be adjusted to each other. But only rarely does the consumer have a transparent influence on the system. The basic idea of Pulse is to change that.
The technical basis of our Pulse app is therefore built upon the smart mega meter developed by EWE Techlab as part of the enera research project. Its advantage: compared to conventional smart meters, it allows data from intelligent measurement systems to be captured. The energy data from the mega meter are displayed in the app and suitable interaction opportunities — known as events — can be offered so that users can react promptly.
In the second part of the blog series, we present the design for the app. More to come soon!
Originally published at www.interfaceofenergy.com.
