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.