GreenButton Data ShareMyData to replace Streaming Devices?

[cebury]

Does anyone know much about the new GreenButton offerings for allowing direct 3rd party access to your data? PG&E calls it Share my Data

From the FAQs and reading through it, it sounds like this is a replacement for Stream My Data services requiring equipment like Rainforest Eagle that read your smartmeter consumption data directly from the radio and transmit it via your internet connection.

If that is correct, saves customers the 100 bucks for the device and much easier setup.

Here is a snapshot of the vendors as of today. pgesharemydata.jpg

Anyone know or tried it?

[sensij]

If you get actual data from one of those vendors for less than the price of the Eagle, or if PG&E opens up the API, please let us know.

[cebury]

If you get actual data from one of those vendors for less than the price of the Eagle, or if PG&E opens up the API, please let us know.

I was hoping,you'd be the guy who knew sensiJ! :. I'll dig into a coule vendors and see.

Re the api, it is open for self retrieval but it's not as simple as connecting to the web server component of an envoy or SMA webbox. You have to have the security certificate for encryption in place, which basically stops almost every home user (though it's certainly not expensive nor difficult to do).

[sensij]

Interesting, they've been talking about greenbutton for so long I've stopped following it. My automation system supports certificates, I'll have to see if SDG&E has gotten as far as PG&E has. Thanks for drawing attention to it.

[J.P.M.]

I use/have access to green button data from SDG & E for free. I was screwing around with it this past A.M. I thought it came gratis, at least the 15 min. increments. Had it since changeout to smart meter. 2 +years ago. Quite useful, I don't share mine with anyone, but several cooperative neighbors share their data with me for monitoring purposes. I assumed they also do not pay extra for it. Maybe I was wrong.

[sensij]

I regularly download the green button data manually from sdg&e's webpage, with 1 hour resolution pre - solar and 15 min resolution since. The promise of green button is in supplying data to automation... The eagle does this in about 8 sec resolution. Eventually, green button might get there, but if there is a more direct way to access those data, i haven't found it.

[cebury]

JPM,

The Greenbutton data has been free from PG&E for as long as it's been offered. What I'm talking about is a way for a 3rd party to automatically, programmatically, connect to PG&E and gather YOUR meters usage data for them to perform analysis upon. I was hoping it'd work along the same way PVOutput works as it can poll other data sources and then overlay your solar production onto your usage. The API method is of limited/no-use to even the savvy utility customer as we can just click the greendata button and have it all in a spreadsheet. For the API method, its potential value lies within the polling and automatic updating.

Perhaps Enphase and Solaredge will provide this feature for free or small upgrade, thereby making their website more valuable and eliminating the need for 3rd party sites like Pvoutput to come in a make a (somewhat small) buck. Or alternatively, pvoutput can connect via the API and overlay instead of/in addition to using wattvision or other sites that required additional consumer hardware like Eagle.

Sensij:
After snooping into four of those vendors who can access the Share my Data, it appears they act as b2b middle-men to renewable/energy efficiency businesses in order to perform the analysis for a customized/targeted sales pitch for potential customers. One vendor was more b2c if you allowed them your data, they would send out a free energy auditor to help you save money!


Since this API access was mandated by federal prodding, and these vendors claim they *can* access 75% of US customer electrical usage (regardless of smart/dumb meters) it's easy to see this pure software solution will overtake those solutions requiring consumer hardware. The hardware has limited value when it's purpose is just to send the data to an external database anyway when said database can just go grab it for you.

[J.P.M.]

JPM,

The Greenbutton data has been free from PG&E for as long as it's been offered. What I'm talking about is a way for a 3rd party to automatically, programmatically, connect to PG&E and gather YOUR meters usage data for them to perform analysis upon. I was hoping it'd work along the same way PVOutput works as it can poll other data sources and then overlay your solar production onto your usage. The API method is of limited/no-use to even the savvy utility customer as we can just click the greendata button and have it all in a spreadsheet. For the API method, its potential value lies within the polling and automatic updating.

Perhaps Enphase and Solaredge will provide this feature for free or small upgrade, thereby making their website more valuable and eliminating the need for 3rd party sites like Pvoutput to come in a make a (somewhat small) buck. Or alternatively, pvoutput can connect via the API and overlay instead of/in addition to using wattvision or other sites that required additional consumer hardware like Eagle.

Sensij:
After snooping into four of those vendors who can access the Share my Data, it appears they act as b2b middle-men to renewable/energy efficiency businesses in order to perform the analysis for a customized/targeted sales pitch for potential customers. One vendor was more b2c if you allowed them your data, they would send out a free energy auditor to help you save money!


Since this API access was mandated by federal prodding, and these vendors claim they *can* access 75% of US customer electrical usage (regardless of smart/dumb meters) it's easy to see this pure software solution will overtake those solutions requiring consumer hardware. The hardware has limited value when it's purpose is just to send the data to an external database anyway when said database can just go grab it for you.

As I wrote, I think that's somewhat as I've been doing with several cooperative neighbors. I have their permission and access info to get their usage form their SDG & E account. So far, I've been able to get as much information as I need for my situation.

[Yaryman]

From the PG&E share my data link.

"Yes, however it does require technical integration with PG&E to set up and operate RESTful web services (API Access).
Customers with this capability can choose Self Access User for the User Type when registering to obtain their data."

And then there is more I didn't copy.

Just my 2¢. The rainforest eagle monitor was $109 with tax and was pretty darn easy to set up.

I'm just as cheap as the next guy, but it seemed like a $109 well spent.

[solarz]

In order to communicate with PG&E, you need a computer or at least a raspberry pi which will cost $39-$100 (depending on all connectivity). Plus, doing programming to connect to PG&E, get data, analyze data and push to the cloud. All those programming required a bit strong Python or C network programming skill.
For user purpose, rainforest is the best option.
For developer, it is fun to start the project. It could help to get a software engineering job which will earn much better than any solar job.

[cebury]

I was never interested in getting the data via the api. I know what's required.

Let me simplify with a hypothetical example:

Pvoutput announced a new feature to gather your consumption data directly from your utility using their ShareMyData service. No hardware is required, the customer merely authorizes them 3rd party access from their utility webpage. The feature is free to their donated/paid subscribers. Rainforest eagle now loses a huge market share.


Until then, yes $109 is reasonable as ive already ordered mine.

[zaphod]

My local electricity distributor, Toronto Hydro-Electric, provides Green Button Access to the data but the interface seems kind of flakey from the web page in that it doesn't always work properly - it often times out. And I don't know if the data is available from an API or just via manual downloads of XML pages using a web UI.