October 19, 2017
Participants: Enrique, Eduardo, Ansel, Alma, Doug & Ana Li at our weekly team meeting.
Purpose: What are the changes to our current 3 proposal that build on our INTERNAL Strengths, correct for our INTERNAL Weaknesses; capitalize on the EXTERNAL Opportunites & protect from the EXTERNAL Threats? The successful future proposal & project lies in the middle of this context (e.g. the “sweet spot.”)
INTERNAL/INTERNA
Strengths/Fortalezas:
- INAOE research history & reputation with CONACYT & CEMIE funding
- Power TAC experience & competitive success (COLD Power broker)
- SUMEX connection & possible contract/collaboration on the MX energy market
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to help decision-making for:
- Prediction of energy markets & balancing microgrid outputs with the grid.
- Failure detection (especially with wind farm simulations – La Ventosa)
- Drone experience (e.g. agricultural applications)
- Experienced team:
- Enrique – experience & visibility (2016 Nat’l. MX Research honor)
- Ansel – most experienced with coding Power TAC competition
- Eduardo – AI, Machine Learning (ML), Robotics}
- Enrique Muñoz Cote (returning in January): MAS, drone ML
- Pablo: BN , Diagnosis
- Alma – administrative & $ experience
- Uriel (INEL), software engineer experience in failure detection
- Ana Li (masters student) working on failure detection
- Rene (masters student) working on drones
- Vladimir (doctorate student) working on simulation & automization
- Peace Corps Response Volunteer (Douglas David, 9/2017-9/2018)
- Lots of data
Weaknesses/Debilidades:
- Not the right kind of data – not enough real energy market or real wind farm data
- Annual team turnover with students, especially, but also researchers & PCRV
- Only Ansel with Power TAC coding experience
- No software developers
- Microgrid test site is far away (La Ventosa), not connected & only partially working
- No onsite personnel or communication at La Ventosa yet (Jan.?)
- Not much business experience
- No products &/or services that are ready for “prime time” business yet
- Not enough expertise in electrical power & equipment
- Internal INOAE bureaucracy – time & money
EXTERNAL/EXTERNO
Opportunities/Opportunidades:
- Growing markets:
- Energy exchanges (MX, US & Europe)
- Renewable Energy (RE) systems (e.g. wind, solar, geothermal, hydropower – 19%, etc.) with only 23% of the current MX energy market.
- Mexican governmental policy support for climate change mitigation & RE systems (e.g 35% of electricity generated in MX must be from RE by 2024, 43% by 2030, & 50% by 2050, only at 18.3% now), SENER (policy), SEMARNAT ($ support).
- Increasing frequency of natural disasters, worldwide (e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, climate change impacts, etc.), is forcing the electricity industry to consider more local & resilient solutions with microgrids & RE systems.
- Growing popular interest in the Internet of Things (IOT) & artificial intelligence (AI)
- Investments to support this research & development (MX, US & other businesses):
- Carlos Sim Heuú, Carso Energy;
- Germán Larrea, Grupo México;
- Alberto Bailleres, Grupo BAL;
- Ricardo Salinas Pliego, Grupo Salinas & Grupo Dragon;
- Vitaluz – portable solar panels for low-income families in MXC & Hidalgo
- Bright start-up & Combinator, an accelerator investor
- Eve Technologies – hydrogen vs. diesel for generators
- Daniel Gómez Iñiguez, SOLBEN (Solucionnes en Bioengergía)
- CleanTech Challenge with support from Banamex, Aeroméxico, Nacional Financiera & CONACYT
- Inventive Power – A solar concentrator was the 2010 winner ($250,000 P)
- Ricardo Rios, Sumex – He helped create regulations for the new Mexican energy markets)
- Elon Musk, Tesla (recent proposal to power the Puerto Rico recovery)
- Need for intelligent controls (e.g. microgrids, drones, markets)
- Need for systems to predict how to make $, detect failures & prevent shutdowns
- Potential collaboration with big companies already in the market (e.g. Axiona MX)
- Potential collaboration with Tech Parks Arizona on the Global Advantage Program (for help with business plans), on a delegation field trip to Tucson, AZ in Jan./Feb., and on an INAOE test park (e.g. microgrid with solar panels, storage & controls using business support)
- Collaboration with other Mexican research institutes.
- Collaboration with other countries (e.g. US; Ecuador Microgrid; Politecnic institute of Porto in Purtugal; Universidad de Camaguey in Cuba; and Columbia?).
- Patent protection for unique INAOE ideas, products &/or services.
Threats/Amenazas:
- Research $ cuts (e.g. CEMIE-Eólica, CEMIE-REDES, CONACYT, etc.)
- Political instability in and with the United States
- Increasing cost of natural gas for electricity (75% of the current MX energy market)
- Big companies are already in the business of energy markets, RE diagnostics, microgrids, drones, etc.
- Mexican Elections in 2018.
- Big companies have more $ to succeed in this business faster
- Losing ownership of the INAOE ideas, data, algorithms, etc.