# US 11,907,879 B2 · System and method for renewable power system interconnection submission processing with the aid of a digital computer > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,907,879 B2 - Document ID: US11907879B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/180,829 - Filed: 2023-03-08 - Published: 2023-07-13 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2015-07-15 - Assignees: Clean Power Research, L.L.C. - Applicants: Clean Power Research, L.L.C. - Inventors: Jeffrey Ressler; Scott Tewel; Robert Orleth; Jeremy Stone - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11907879B2 ## CPC - G06Q 10/06316: {Sequencing of tasks or work} - G06Q 10/103: {Workflow collaboration or project management} - Y04S 10/50: Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - Y04S: SYSTEMS INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO POWER NETWORK OPERATION, COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR IMPROVING THE ELECTRICAL POWER GENERATION, TRANSMISSION, DISTRIBUTION, MANAGEMENT OR USAGE, i.e. SMART GRIDS ## Abstract A graphical workflow definition and management tool enables administrators and other authorized users to implement a workflow process that can be used to evaluate project submissions or other applications that require step-by-step process completion. The steps required to navigate through the workflow are first defined. Inputs, outputs, and actions, including conditional criteria, can be specified for the steps. The flow of control between the individual steps in the workflow is mapped out; changes to the status of a project submission can cause a submission to migrate to a succeeding step in the workflow. A “sandbox” testing environment allows changes to any aspect of the workflow to be safely evaluated without affecting live data. Conflicts between production and test workflows are identified and intelligently resolved. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for renewable power system interconnection submission processing with the aid of a digital computer, comprising: a server under a control of a power utility associated with an interconnection to a renewable energy system, the server configured to: process a submission through a workflow for interconnecting a building to the renewable energy system using an application programming interface (API) implemented as a Representational State Transfer web service, the workflow comprising a plurality of status steps connected in a path by one or more connectors, the status steps comprising an entry point into the workflow step and an exit point from the workflow step, comprising: accept the submission as input into the workflow via the entry point as a current status, comprising: scan a third party website at predefined intervals; update a menu of the equipment comprised in the renewable energy system based on the scan; present to a user the updated menu; receive user input using the API over a secure web communication protocol from a software application associated with the user, the user input comprising a selection of the equipment comprised in the renewable energy system, wherein the selection is made using the updated menu; determine based on the user input one or more characteristics of the renewable energy system; and set at least some of the characteristics as data comprised in the submission; update the current status of the submission to the status step next occurring along the path through the workflow defined by each connector; and generate an output from the workflow when the current status comprises the exit point, the output comprising an approval of the interconnection of the renewable energy system, wherein the building is interconnected to the renewable energy system based on the approval. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A system according to claim 1, wherein the menu comprises a dropdown menu. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A system according to claim 2, wherein the characteristics comprise one or more of annual photovoltaic power production, DC rating, and CEC-AC rating. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A system according to claim 1, the server further configured to assign an identifier to the submission. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A system according to claim 1, wherein the user is unable to edit the submission following an acceptance of the submission by the server. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A system according to claim 5, the at least one server further configured to make the submission editable by the user following a receipt of a command from a further user associated with an administrator role. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A system according to claim 1, wherein the user's ability to edit the submission following the acceptance of the submission by the server is dependent on the status step the current status of the submission is set at. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A system according to claim 1, the server configured to set one or more of the status steps as the current status of the submission based on input from a further user associated with an administrator role. ### Claim 9 A method for renewable power system interconnection submission processing with the aid of a digital computer, comprising: processing, by a server under a control of a power utility associated with an interconnection to a renewable energy system, a submission through a workflow for interconnecting a building to the renewable energy system using an application programming interface (API) implemented as a Representational State Transfer web service, the workflow comprising a plurality of status steps connected in a path by one or more connectors, the status steps comprising an entry point into the workflow step and an exit point from the workflow step, comprising: accepting the submission as input into the workflow via the entry point as a current status, comprising: receiving user input using the API over a secure web communication protocol from a software application associated with the user, the user input comprising a selection of equipment comprised in the renewable energy system; determining based on the user input one or more characteristics of the renewable energy system; and setting at least some of the characteristics as data comprised in the submission, wherein the user is unable to edit the submission following an acceptance of the submission by the server; updating the current status of the submission to the status step next occurring along the path through the workflow defined by each connector; and generating an output from the workflow when the current status comprises the exit point, the output comprising an approval of the interconnection of the renewable energy system, wherein the building is interconnected to the renewable energy system based on the approval. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, the server further configured: presenting by the server to the user a menu of the equipment, wherein the equipment selection is made using the menu. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, wherein the menu comprises a dropdown menu. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A method according to claim 11, wherein the characteristics comprise one or more of annual photovoltaic power production, DC rating, and CEC-AC rating. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A method according to claim 10, further comprising: scanning a third party website at predefined intervals; updating the menu based on the scan. ### Claim 14 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, further comprising assigning by the server an identifier to the submission. ### Claim 15 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, further comprising making by the server the submission editable by the user following a receipt of a command from a further user associated with an administrator role. ### Claim 16 (depends on 9) A method according to claim 9, further comprising setting one or more of the status steps as the current status of the submission based on input from a further user associated with an administrator role. ### Claim 17 A system for renewable power system building interconnection submission processing with the aid of a digital computer, comprising: a server under a control of a power utility associated with an interconnection to a renewable energy system, the server configured to: process a submission through a workflow for interconnecting a building to the renewable energy system using an application programming interface (API) implemented as a Representational State Transfer web service, the workflow comprising a plurality of status steps connected in a path by one or more connectors, the status steps comprising an entry point into the workflow step and an exit point from the workflow step, comprising: accept the submission as input into the workflow via the entry point as a current status, comprising: receive user input using the API over a secure web communication protocol from a software application associated with the user, the user input comprising a selection of equipment comprised in the renewable energy system; determine based on the user input one or more characteristics of the renewable energy system; and set at least some of the characteristics as data comprised in the submission, wherein the user's ability to edit the submission following the acceptance of the submission by the server is dependent on the status step the current status of the submission is set at; update the current status of the submission to the status step next occurring along the path through the workflow defined by each connector; and generate an output from the workflow when the current status comprises the exit point, the output comprising an approval of the interconnection of the renewable energy system, wherein the building is interconnected to the renewable energy system based on the approval.