UD students create energy saving app

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A pair of savvy graduate engineering students at the University of Dayton have caught the eye of the U.S. Department of Energy with innovative software that will help homeowners with solar systems conserve energy and save big bucks on their electricity bills.

Mithun Mohan Nagabhairava, a software developer in the renewable and clean energy program, and mechanical engineer Dustin Pohlman won the "Popular Choice" second prize -- and $4,000 -- in the U.S. Department of Energy's first "Apps for Energy" competition. They'll travel to Washington, D.C., later this summer to demo the app to DOE representatives and utility companies.

The app is designed for homeowners with solar photovoltaic systems. Families can save up to a third on their electricity bills as demand and time-of-day pricing become more prevalent, the engineering students estimate.

In all, the DOE doled out $100,000 in cash prizes in the contest, which attracted 57 entries. The proposed apps covered everything from price calculations for plug-in cars to the University of Dayton app that allows consumers to measure their home's electricity usage to determine the ideal size of a solar panel and battery system. The battery would be charged during the daytime, with a controller releasing the stored energy during peak times.