SolarQuery web service API

I've recently been working on improving the interface for external applications that interact with and access data from the SolarNetwork.  Here is a quick update on where things are at.

SolarQuery is the SolarNetwork application that exposes web services for querying the data collected by SolarNodes. SolarQuery is what enables data visualizations like Consumption Monitor and Generation Monitor. This API is still being developed, but we've created a API Sampler page that demonstrates the latest API.

The sampler also demonstrates the SolarNetworkWS authorization scheme used by the web API. This scheme is modeled after Amazon's AWS scheme used by RESTful services like S3 and uses the HMAC-SHA1 hash scheme to authenticate and sign each request. Owners of SolarNodes can log into the SolarUser application to manage their nodes and create security tokens:

These tokens are then used by the SolarQuery web API, and the API Sampler page shows how to properly sign each request using the tokens (it uses the open-source crypto-js library to handle the HMAC encoding). The sampler also provides API method templates to quickly test different methods, and will show the results of the method call directly in the page:

After the web service API is expanded and has sufficiently stabilized, we'll create more complete documentation on the API.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Enjoy!

Sunday in review (the Greenstage Gathering)

We had a great turnout on Sunday, with people coming and going all day long.  Plenty of EVs onsite with people just dropping in to show off their cars and others coming to see what's happening and what's possible for them.  This is exactly what we like to see!

Greenstage Gathering 2012

The underlying community focus and vision from Greenstage (and the associated Open Source technology projects, Tumanako and SolarNetwork) is explained within the 2012 flyer, please download this and share it around or have a look at the image below.

Greenstage Community Focus

Mid afternoon we demonstrated the SolarNetwork enabled charging pedestal in action, we showed how this facilitates the sharing of existing charging infrastructure amongst EV owners.  People registered with the SolarNetwork can enable other peoples charging pedestals anywhere around the country (assuming the owners of the pedestal have granted permission for this).  They do this using the Android based Tumanako Dashboard which uses wireless communications to activate the charging pedestal (as well as activating charging pedestals, this dashboard also monitors your EV performance while driving). 

Tumanako Dashboard

This is a very low cost way of creating a charging network that grows as demand grows (every EV owner already installs some form of charging infrastructure at home, so even if only 50% of EV owners join the network, this will easily create a nationwide distributed EV charging infrastructure).

Community Charging

Not to be outdone, Chris Olsen announced the Energy Share co-op to great excitement.  Already it's obvious that people have been hanging out for this and that the co-op is going to be a game changer with respect to personal energy independence.  You can download more information on EnergyShare from here and if you are ready to join and get involved, please fill in the online form.

So all in all it was a great day.  Lots of learning, lots of fun and lots of opportunity for everyone.  I know I haven't covered everything, but please feel free to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below, the more we share the more everyone benefits.

Finally, these gatherings don't happen on their own, its the community that brings it all together.  So a big thanks to Grey Lynn Dogs, Switch EV, Electrex, Stewart Design, Diamond Age Solutions, Andrew Simms Mitsubishi, Andy Harper Tyres, APEV, ECONZ, Athol, Warren, Jeremy, Steve and Dee, Tom and Tabitha, my wife Kirstin, Dylan Aimee and Sophie, plus all the Greenstage crew and their families for making this happen, it wouldn't happen without you.

Exciting times ahead, the technology is ready, the community is growing and we are all eager for change.

Lets make it happen!

Energy Datapalooza!

My name is John Gorman and I was one of the folks initially involved in starting the SolarNetwork platform, and am a director of Greenstage Power Ltd. SolarNetwork is a software platform for the the acquisition  storage, visualization and analysis of energy data from distributed and heterogeneous sources. In fact, it will do more than that now, thanks to Greenstage Power's efforts, but this is my first Greenstage Blog entry,  so hello!

Back in May 2012, I was invited to attend an Energy Data Jam at Stanford University, to help brainstorm how the use of open government data in the U.S. could serve as a catalyst to innovation in efficient energy use and conservation. Split into groups, we dreamed up and presented to the full group (about 40 people) a dozen or so "apps" that used government datasets.  At that meeting, U.S. CTO Todd Park told us it wasn't just about brainstorming, it was about really coding these apps, in 90 days.

Following up from the Energy Data Jam,  I was invited to represent SolarNetwork at the Energy Datapalooza in Washington DC on Oct 1, 2012. This was the conference organized by the OSTP (Office of Science and Technology Policy) an arm of the White House whose mission is to drive innovation and advise the president on technology changes and opportunities. The Energy Datapalooza was focused on celebrating the release of a number of open APIs allowing access to government data sets, and to highlight the entrepreneurs who were already starting to leverage those APIs for new products and services. From census data, to auto efficiency standards, to near real-time electricity usage, the APIs exposed a huge amount of valuable data and developers were busy doing mashups and apps that used it. A lot of credit should go to two guys who were really energetic in making this a reality: CTO Todd Park and EDI (Energy Data Initiative) Director Ian Kalin. Their passion for opening up data as a  catalyst for innovation and their bold, aggressive and open approach to welcoming experimentation is really appreciated. I think that once the GreenButtonConnectMyData API is opened up, (to be released soon) we're going to see some very interesting applications appear. One very interesting speaker at the Energy Datapalooza was Dr. Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy. A Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Dr. Chu spoke about the role of data streams and core technology as a fuel for innovation, and mentioned the impending falling prices of both PV and deep-cycle storage, with some very interesting applications coming up. We are of course eager to hear more, so we'll stay tuned!

Multiple EV Events!

Over the next couple of months there is a mad frenzy of EV and Energy related events in NZ!  Make sure you get a slice of the action:

    * Auckland EV Expo (13th Oct, Auckland)
    * Greenstage 2012 Gathering (18th Nov, Auckland)
    * Plug In Electric Vehicle Symposium (22nd Nov, Auckland)
    * Sustainable City Showcase (22nd - 24th Nov, Auckland)
    * Plug In Electric Vehicle Symposium (23rd Nov, Wellington)
    * SEANZ Smart Energy Expo (23rd - 24th Nov, Wellington)

Enjoy :)

Greenstage Gathering 2012

Yes, it's time for another Greenstage gathering!

It's a one day event being held from 10am till 3pm, on Sunday 18th November at 19 Newton Rd in Auckland (head down Newton Rd from Khyber Pass Rd, it's just past the North Western motorway over-bridge on the left, just before you get to Ponsonby Rd).  Parking is available in the nearby back streets and pay and display parking is available on the corner of Karangahape Rd and Gundy St.

As well as having a bit of fun and showing off a few grouse EVs, the purpose of the gathering is to launch new clarity around desirable positive actions we can collectively and individually take to make life more enjoyable, less costly and overall better for everyone and the environment.

The Future is Now:

1) it's desirable
2) it's community focused
3) it's knowledge driven (and fuelled by sharing)
4) it's high tech and high performance!
5) and it's a whole lot of FUN!

Here's some of what will be happening on the day:

• Join the launch of a distributed energy Co-op (sign up for cheaper renewable power)
• Meet Vik and the RepRap fabricating physical Open Source components (print your own objects!)
• Talk to the experts about photovoltaic systems with storage and SolarNetwork monitoring and control
• See and learn about the Greenstage GS750V (now with high performance race battery)
• Talk with the owner of the Switch EV Ute (NZ designed and built electric induction motor, controller and instrumentation!)
• Learn about the Tumanako Dashboard (controlling SolarNetwork EV charge points from an Android phone)
• See the ScottDrive powered Honda Prelude (exceptional NZ designed and built motor controller and powerstage!)
• See the Switch EV Toyota Celica (a very tidy conversion, powered by solar generated electricity - no fuel bills)
• Marvel at the Tesla Roadster (Yes! The world's leading high performance electric road car)
• Consider the Nissan Leaf  (a very practical mid sized EV)
• Investigate the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (a nice 4 seat EV)
• Drink Coffee (it's Sunday morning)
• Eat solar hotdogs (weather permitting)
• Listen to live Music!!! (Grey Lynn dogs and more)

In addition to the look point and talk discussions and conversations in the carpark, there will be a number of scheduled presentations indoors:

• 11:30 am - The RepRap, Vik builds a casing for the KiwiAC bluetooth module (which is used to talk wirelessly with the Tumanako Dashboard)
• 12:30 pm - Co-op Launch
• 1:30 pm - Tumanako Dashboard (Android powered EV dashboard and charge controller)

Please email if you plan on coming along (we need a rough idea of numbers), also, if you have any ideas or suggestions to make the event even better.

Let us know!

Switch EV is go! (part 3)

The Greenstage Team has been helping Switch EV with final tuning and testing on their Electric Holden Ute.  We decided to capture some of the action and we have put together a little montage, with a hint to what's coming next as well.



If you're after more information, check out earlier Switch EV blog posts part 1 and part 2.

Enjoy!

d3 gauge

Recently I implemented a "gauge" style chart for displaying live power output of a PV installation. d3 is a fantastic JavaScript visualization framework, and is great for animating live data feeds.

See a "live" example at bl.ocks.org/3202712.

This component and many others are being rolled out to enhance a number of distributed generation and monitoring solutions throughout New Zealand and the Pacific.

Greenstage Commercial Solutions

At Greenstage we continue to innovate and enhance the Open Source capabilities of the SolarNetwork while also delivering high quality commercial solutions to the world.

If you need commercial solutions or SolarNetwork support, please don't hesitate to contact us.  If you are an Open Source developer interested in distributed energy solutions, please join us on SourceForge!