Patent Publication Number: US-2023153907-A1

Title: System and method for in-game or in-application carbon footprint offsetting via renewable energy certificate, or similar instrument, management

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Pat. Application Serial No. 63/277,977 filed Nov. 10, 2021, titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IN-GAME OR IN-APPLICATION CARBON FOOTPRINT OFFSETTING VIA RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATE, OR SIMILAR INSTRUMENT, MANAGEMENT,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to management of information between multiple points. More particularly, and not by way of limitation, the present disclosure is directed to a system and method for the management of renewable energy certificates, credits, or similar instruments (e.g., forestation certificate, recycling certificate, a green or carbon-capture certificate, etc.) used for the purpose of carbon footprint offsetting, among other things. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As preference and reliance on electronics rises, so too does electricity usage, calling for additional energy generation to meet the rising demand. Similarly, there is an increase in calls for renewable energy production and efforts to offset the costs of creating these new renewable generation locations. Renewable energy certificates (RECs) allow for the offsetting of non-renewable energy production, allowing a purchasing party to offset their carbon emissions by purchasing of the environmental attributes of renewable energy production. These purchases can be difficult and are often harder still to properly document. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure is related to a method for renewable energy certificate management with gaming, ecommerce, and/or wagering management systems. A purchase request can be received from one of the management systems by an energy intelligence platform that processes the purchase request. A value can be assigned to the purchase request for an individual user, as well as the management system, and those values then utilized to purchase renewable energy certificates, or similar carbon-offsetting instruments, in the name of the user and/or management system. The energy intelligence platform can perform communications that allow for the retiring of the renewable energy certificate, which can then be confirmed to the management system. Retiring the REC may refer to the user retaining ownership such that it can no longer be sold to another user (e.g., it is removed from circulation). A virtual token or other reward can be generated in consideration for the purchase amount, and the virtual token or other reward can then be provided to the user and/or management system. 
     Thus, in one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to methods for management and exchange of renewable energy certificates with an ecommerce system. An ecommerce system may include the ability to purchase renewable energy certificates as part of a goal to reduce carbon emissions and support renewable energy. The purchase request can be sent to an energy intelligence platform that receives the request from the ecommerce system. The energy intelligence platform can process the purchase request and calculate the required number of RECs required to facilitate the carbon offset for the purchase request. The RECs can then be purchased from the REC market in the name of a user and/or the ecommerce system. The purchased RECs can be saved and/or retired. A virtual token (e.g., reward, award, etc.) may be generated by the energy intelligence platform or the ecommerce system and may provide a benefit and/or advantage to the ecommerce system user. 
     In another aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system for management of renewable energy certificate exchange with various gaming management systems. An energy intelligence platform can receive a renewable energy certificate purchase request from a gaming management system indicating it is for specific offsetting instruments associated with a virtual token. The energy intelligence platform can score the request, thus generating a carbon offset score (COS), whereby said score may be composite in nature. The COS may be comprised of any number of factors including but not limited to user locale, gaming management system locale, historical purchases, and regional energy generation sources. The COS can then be provided to the gaming management system. The energy intelligence platform can select the vendor and complete the REC and/or similar instrument purchase in the name of the user and/or gaming management system. The energy intelligence platform may then complete a retirement operation. The energy intelligence platform may prepare a virtual token that can be sent to the gaming management system or the gaming management system may prepare a virtual token autonomously. The virtual token may be configurable by a user of the gaming management system. The virtual token’s attributes may be modified such that one or more functionalities of the virtual token modify gameplay of a video game session, for example. Further, the virtual token’s attributes may be configured with a carbon offset footprint of one or more users. 
     NOTATION AND NOMENCLATURE 
     Various terms are used to refer to particular system components. Different entities may refer to a component by different names - this document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following discussion and in the claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “including, but not limited to....” Also, the term “couple” or “couples” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct connection. Thus, if a first device couples to a second device, that connection may be through a direct connection or through an indirect connection via other devices and connections. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
     The terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections; however, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms, when used herein, do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. The phrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least one of: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C. In another example, the phrase “one or more” when used with a list of items means there may be one item or any suitable number of items exceeding one. 
     Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms “application”, “platform”, and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, computing systems acting as a cohesive unit, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computer readable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code” includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes any type of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, a compact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), solid state drives (SSDs), NVMe, flash memory, or any other type of memory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transport transitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computer readable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored and media where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as a rewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device. 
     Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a detailed description of example embodiments, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    illustrates a system architecture according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  2 A  illustrates a high-level component diagram using the energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  2 B  illustrates various energy consuming computing devices according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  3    illustrates a power infrastructure. 
         FIG.  4    illustrates a Renewable Energy Credit (REC) exchange according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 A  illustrates an example Renewable Energy Credit (REC) management system according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  5 B  illustrates another example Renewable Energy Credit (REC) management system according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  6 A  illustrates an operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  6 B  illustrates an operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  7    illustrates an asynchronous operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  8    illustrates a hybrid operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  9    illustrates a synchronous operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  10    illustrates an example of a method for a gaming management system according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  11    illustrates an example of a method for an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. 
         FIG.  12    illustrates an example computer system according to embodiments of this disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It would be advantageous to have a system and method for offsetting instrument purchasing and management that overcomes the disadvantages of conventional techniques. The present disclosure provides such a system and method, among other things. 
     Renewable energy is the fastest growing form of energy production and is expected to surpass fossil fuels and conventional energy production in the years to come. As electrical energy is generated and transmitted to the wholesale power grid, the renewable benefits of energy generated by wind or solar sources are not distinguishable on an electron-by-electron basis from the power electrons generated by non-renewable fossil-fueled energy sources; to deal with this fact and facilitate a commercial carbon footprint offset marketplace, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) have been established in most global power markets. RECs are distinct from the energy created and supplied to the grid. RECs embody environmental attributes of energy generated by wind and/or solar energy generating projects. RECs are offsetting instruments issued by a respective power grid Independent System Operator or Regional Transmission Operator in the generator’s region. A company or individual can purchase RECs to offset their greenhouse or carbon emissions arising from non-renewable electrical power generation. Utilizing RECs to provide carbon offsets for electrical energy use is a well-established means of “greening” or making energy use environmentally sustainable. RECs are commonly used to offset standard energy use on a one-for-one basis, one megawatt of energy use for one REC. RECs are market-based instruments that certify the bearer owns one megawatt-hour (MWh) of electricity generated from a renewable energy resource. RECs are sold after the power provider has fed the energy produced into the power grid. RECs account for the amount of renewable energy flowing through a power grid. 
     RECs can be purchased on behalf of end users (commercial, industrial, or individuals) through either electronic bulletin board, exchange systems or through bilateral agreements direct with the renewable generation ownership. The use of RECs is widely known or adopted by most retail power marketers and utilities, and even to more sophisticated commercial businesses, but RECs are not not widely known by most power consumers. In some embodiments, the present disclosure may provide a technical solution to address the need for an incentive system to attract more consumers to the REC market. Two such areas that may be addressed with the present disclosure may include gaming management systems, as well as retail commerce solutions (e.g., ecommerce management systems). 
     One example of how the present disclosure may work: a consumer (e.g., a user playing a video game referred to as a “gamer”) engaged in a gaming management system decides to purchase an add-on (e.g., in-game feature, such as a “skin” or a virtual item) or other in-game purchase, and the consumer is provided an option to buy a virtual token that is made “green” by assigning environmental attributes (e.g., REC or similar offsetting instrument). When this option is selected, a request is made from the gaming management system to the energy intelligence platform of the present disclosure. The energy intelligence platform may complete the REC purchase and confirm it with the gaming management system, which then provides the gamer with a “green” gaming element or virtual token that simultaneously represents (a) a carbon offsetting of the gamer’s power use and (b) direct support for renewable energy projects through a verifiable mechanism. The virtual token may also be configured to provide a certain functional feature and/or ornamental feature that modifies a characteristic or functionality of the virtual token when deployed in a video game session. 
     In some embodiments, the virtual token purchased by the user may be shared with one or more social media platforms (e.g., Facebook®, Twitter®, Instagram®, etc.) via one or more application programming interfaces. The virtual token may be associated with an account of the user on one or more social media platforms. Further, the virtual token may be presented on the user’s profile screen in one or more social media platforms. In some embodiments, information pertaining to the virtual token and/or RECs owned by the user may be presented for the user. 
     In some embodiments, the energy consumed by one or more users may be monitored on their energy consuming devices. For example, a software agent application may be installed on their energy consuming devices that tracks an amount of energy used by the energy consuming devices while charging. The energy consumption data may be transmitted to the energy intelligence platform that may use the energy consumption data to determine an average user’s carbon offset footprint. In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform may determine each individual user’s carbon offset footprint. The carbon offset footprint may be used to determine a purchase price of the virtual token and a number of RECs to purchase to offset the user’s carbon footprint. 
     In some embodiments, an offsetting instrument portal may be presented on a computing device of the user. The offsetting instrument portal may present one or more graphical elements associated with the virtual token owned by the user, offsetting instruments owned by the user, or both. For example, if the user owns six RECs associated with solar energy, six solar panel graphical elements may be presented for the user’s account on a screen. Further, gamification may be used to further incentivize users to purchase more offsetting instruments. That is, various rewards may be assigned to the users when they achieve a threshold level of their carbon offset footprint. The reward may be a graphical element (e.g., a virtual trophy) that is presented on a screen associated with their user profile and/or account. The energy intelligence platform may generate and provide the offsetting instrument portal to computing devices of the users. 
     Turning now to the figures,  FIG.  1    depicts a system architecture  100  according to some embodiments. The system architecture  100  may include one or more computing device s  102 ,  108 , and/or  110 . Although one computing device is depicted as respectively executing an energy intelligence platform  116 , a gaming management system  104 , and the REC exchange  106 , more than one computing device may be used in a distributed architecture to perform one or more functions of the energy intelligence platform  116 , the gaming management system  104 , and/or the REC exchange  106 . The gaming management system  104 , the energy intelligence platform  116 , and/or the REC Exchange  106  may be implemented in computer instructions stored on one or more memory devices and executable by one or more processing devices. The computing device  108  executing the gaming management system  104  may be communicatively coupled to the computing device  108  executing the energy intelligence platform  116  via network  112 . The computing device  108  executing the energy intelligence platform  116  may be communicatively coupled to the computing device  110  executing the REC exchange  106  via the network  112 . In some embodiments, the computing devices  102 ,  108 , and/or  110  may be communicatively coupled to each other via the network  112 . 
     Each of the computing devices  102 ,  108 , and/or  110  may include one or more processing devices, memory devices, and/or network interface devices. The network interface devices may enable communication via a wired or wireless protocol for transmitting data over short distances, such as Bluetooth, NFC, etc. Additionally, the network interface devices may enable communicating data over long distances, and in one example, computing devices  102 ,  108 , and/or  110  may communicate with the network  112 . Network  112  may be a public network (e.g., connected to the Internet via wired (Ethernet) or wireless (WiFi)), a private network (e.g., a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN)), or a combination thereof. Network  112  may also comprise a node or nodes on the Internet of Things (IoT). 
     The computing devices  102 ,  108 , and/or  110  may be any suitable computing device, such as a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a computer, a server, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a camera, a video camera, a netbook, a desktop computer, a media center, a gaming console, any other device capable of functioning as a server, or any combination of the above. The computing device  102  may include a display capable of presenting a user interface of a software application or website. The software application may be implemented in computer instructions stored on one or more memory devices of the computing device  102  and executable by one or more processing devices of the computing device  102 . The website may be implemented in computer instructions and hosted by a server. The computing device  102  may execute a browser to access and interact with the website. The application or website may be implemented in computer instructions as the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  may provide various functionality, such as a platform for installing, playing, buying, and/or streaming one or more video games. The gaming management system  104  may include a digital distribution service, a digital application storefront, a video game streaming service, a video streaming service, a social networking service, a digital rights management service, a server hosting service, etc.). In some embodiments, the gaming management system  104  may be hosted by a server or computing device external to the computing device  102 . 
     The application or website may present various screens to a user. For example, the user interface may present a screen of a storefront application executed by the gaming management system  104 . The screen may include an option to buy a virtual token that is associated with an offsetting instrument. The virtual token may be configured by a user of the gaming management system  104 . Using a screen provided by the gaming management system  104 , the user may use an input peripheral (e.g., mouse, keyboard, touchscreen, microphone) to select configuration input of one or more attributes associated with a functional feature and/or ornamental feature to configure for the virtual token. The energy intelligence platform  116  may receive the configuration input and configure the virtual token by modifying one or more attributes associated with the virtual token. For example, the energy intelligence platform  116  may modify one or more attributes pertaining to a carbon footprint offset of the user of the computing device  102  executing the gaming management system  104 , an ornamental feature of the virtual token, a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. The configuration input, the configured virtual token, and its attributes may be stored in a database of the energy intelligence platform  116  and/or the gaming management system  104 . 
     The ornamental feature of the virtual token may include an appearance of the virtual token and may include a color, a shape, a size, a design, a graphic, text, a model mesh (e.g., polygon mesh), video, or some combination thereof. The ornamental feature may control the appearance of the virtual token presented by the gaming management system  104  and during in-game play of a video game session provided by the gaming management system  104 . 
     The functional feature of the virtual token may include a function performed by the virtual token or a feature provided by the virtual token. The functional feature may be a “power up” that causes the virtual token to provide an altered amount of the attribute (e.g., increased or decrease amount, higher or lower amount, etc.) of an item or object represented by the virtual token than other objects that are not associated with the power up. For example, the virtual token may be a virtual motorcycle in a motorcycle racing video game, and the power up may enhance performance of the virtual motorcycle (e.g., faster revolutions per minute, higher driving speed, improved handling, etc.) as compared to other motorcycles that lack the power up. The functional feature may control the function of the virtual token during in-game play of a video game session provided by the gaming management system  104 . 
     The virtual token, once purchased, may be generated and transmitted from the energy intelligence platform  116  to the gaming management system  104 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may determine a purchase price of the virtual token based on a carbon footprint offset of one or more users. The energy intelligence platform  116  may consider numerous factors when determining the purchase price, such as time of day energy is consumed, location, cost of energy, amount of energy consumed, historical purchases, and so forth. The energy intelligence platform  116  may determine that a certain number of RECs (e.g., 5) should be bought to offset the user’s carbon footprint. The number of RECs may be factored into determining the purchase price of the virtual token. The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit a bulk purchase request to the REC exchange  106 . The REC exchange  106  may purchase the RECs, transfer ownership of the RECs to the user, and retire the RECs using an identity of the user and/or the gaming management system  104 . 
     A confirmation may be transmitted by the REC exchange  106  to the energy intelligence platform  116 . In some embodiments, the RECs may be transmitted to the energy intelligence platform  116 . In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform  116  generates and transmits the virtual token to the gaming management system  104  to be deployed during a video game session according to the configured attributes. 
       FIG.  2 A  illustrates a high-level component diagram using the energy intelligence platform  116  according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. Various businesses  210  may operate a software application or service that integrates with the energy intelligence platform  116 . For example, an application programming interface of the energy intelligence platform  116  may be used to enable the businesses’  210  software application or service to integrate with and use functionality of the energy intelligence platform  116 . In one example embodiment, the gaming management system  104  may be developed and provided by one of the businesses  210  (represented by a cloud). In another example, an ecommerce software application or website may be developed and provided by one of the businesses  210 . 
     Consumers or users may select to purchase an REC virtual token using a software application or website provided by one of the businesses  210 . The software application or website may transmit a request to the energy intelligence platform  116  to reconcile a REC. The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit a virtual token associated with the carbon footprint offset to the software application or website to be presented and/or used. The energy intelligence platform  116  may asynchronously transmit messages to the REC exchange  106  to transfer ownership of the REC to an identity of the user that purchased the virtual token and retire the REC using the user’s identity. 
     In some embodiments, a consolidated REC portal may be accessed by the consumers or users. The consolidated REC portal may be implemented in computer instructions stored on one or more memory devices and executed by one or more processing devices. The consolidated REC portal may refer to a user interface screen associated with the energy intelligence platform  116 . The consolidated REC portal may enable presenting one or more graphical elements associated with the RECs and/or other offsetting instruments purchased and retired by the user. In some embodiments, the consolidated REC portal may be publicly accessed such that other users can view each of the users REC statistics. The consolidated REC portal may present various rewards or awards for the user if the user has satisfied one or more thresholds of offsetting their carbon footprint. In some embodiments, the consolidated REC portal may present REC statistics, rewards, virtual tokens, and/or awards associated with multiple gaming management systems. That is, the REC portal consolidates the information (e.g., offsetting instruments associated with the user) associated with numerous gaming management systems and presents the information in a user interface. 
       FIG.  2 B  illustrates various energy consuming computing devices  210  according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. As depicted, the energy consuming computing devices  210  may include one or more smart watches, smart televisions, laptops, mobile devices, home energy providers, smart refrigerators, desktop computers, and/or electric vehicles, among others. The energy consuming computing devices  210  may be communicatively coupled to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may collect various information pertaining to the energy used by the energy consuming computing devices  210 , including the amount of energy used to charge the energy consuming computing devices  210 . In some embodiments, a software agent application may be downloaded and installed on each of the energy consuming computing devices  210 . The software agent application may determine when the energy consuming computing devices  210  are charging and an amount of time the energy consuming computing devices  210  charge. The software agent application may determine the amount of energy consumed by the amount of time the energy consuming devices  210  charge. 
     Other information may be determined by the software agent application, such as usage patterns of the energy consuming device  210  (e.g., most used application, least used application, time of use, etc.), user preferences, and the like. The software agent application may transmit any obtained information to the energy intelligence platform  116  to enable the energy intelligence platform  116  to determine a carbon footprint offset of the user based on the energy consumed by the energy consuming devices  210 . The carbon footprint offset may enable determining a price of the virtual token based on how many RECs are needed to be purchased to offset the user’s carbon footprint. 
       FIG.  3    illustrates a power infrastructure  300 . A power infrastructure  300  may take energy from any number of generators or producers such as but not limited to solar energy  304 A, wind energy  304 B, alternative fuel energy  304 C, hydro energy  304 D, or other energy sources  304 E, and provide those to commercial buildings and homes  312 . The power infrastructure  300  may be facilitated by industrial power control system  322  and the power grid  324 . In at least one embodiment, the power grid  324  represents the distribution network and transmission lines that provide the transport mechanism for power from generation sites to consumption sites. Those same sites, such as commercial buildings and homes  312 , may use energy that is produced by green or renewable energy sources. One way to guarantee that the power consumed is green or renewable is through the purchase of renewable energy certificates. Renewable energy sources such as solar energy  304 A and wind energy  304 B can generate renewable energy certificates such as solar energy certificates  326 A, renewable energy certificates  326 B, and/or alternative energy certificates or incentives  326 C. 
       FIG.  4    is an illustration of a renewable energy certificate exchange. A certificate exchange and internet infrastructure  400  can allow for renewable energy certificates (REC)  426  to be traded or exchanged between individuals or homes  412  and businesses  410 . A user  420  can access a REC Exchange  428  via the network  112  to purchase certificates that can be retired in the name of that business or individual. By purchasing certificates and retiring them, that energy credit amount is purchased to offset carbon emissions in that amount. For example, if a home  412  uses 1 MW of energy a year, they can purchase a REC worth 1 MW of energy and retire that certificate to offset the carbon emissions. 
       FIG.  5 A  illustrates a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) management system  500 A. The REC management system  500 A allows a user  520  to purchase and manage RECs via gaming and other ecommerce management systems. For example, a user  520  plays a video game on a gaming management system  104  that allows for in-game purchases. The user  520  selects one of the in-game purchases, which sends the purchase request to the gaming management system  104  servers  532 . The gaming management system  104  sends the requests to the energy intelligence platform  116  (“GoGreenGamers”) that makes the purchase request to a REC exchange  106 . 
     The REC exchange  106  facilitates a purchase and returns the certificate and/or a retirement confirmation to the energy intelligence platform  116 , which provides the information to the gaming management system  104 . During the purchase confirmations, a virtual token, medallion, or another item can be provided to the user’s gaming management system account for use within one or more video games. While gaming is provided as the illustration, the energy intelligence platform  116  may also be linked with ecommerce platforms or other types of wagering or gaming systems. 
     For example, an ecommerce platform could replace the gaming management system  104 , and the ecommerce servers could replace the gaming servers  532 . In these examples, the ecommerce platform could offer a reward equivalent to the amount of energy purchased or carbon offsets purchased. Similarly, if a wagering system replaces the gaming system, the amount of energy utilized could be offset with a percentage of the winnings or other calculations. Alternatively, wagers for users who make green or renewable contributions may receive bonuses or increased odds of winning. 
       FIG.  5 B  illustrates a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) management system  500 B. An alternative view of the REC management system  500 B provides how power systems and RECs interact. For example, energy sources  504  produce energy in multiple forms. Some are from renewable or green sources, others are from alternative fuels, and others are from fossil fuels. The renewable or green sources can often generate RECs  536  equivalent to the amount of energy produced for a given time period. For example, if a solar energy farm produces 5 MWs every day, then it can generate five Solar RECs every day. Since consumers of energy, i.e., homes  512  or commercial buildings, cannot know if the energy they utilize comes from a renewable or green source, these individuals or facilities can purchase RECs equivalent to, less than, or greater than their production. The produced energy is provided to the power grid  534  for transmission, conditioning, and/or control. The power grid  534  makes the power/energy available for the homes  512  and/or commercial buildings. 
     The RECs can be managed by energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  can manage RECs and/or similar instruments for gaming, ecommerce, gambling or wagering, and individual users (e.g., gamers). For example, a gamer may be from a city and/or state where there is minimal renewable energy production. When his purchase request is made, a calculation may be performed to facilitate REC purchases. In at least one example, the user’s past REC purchase history can also be accounted for to create a more substantial virtual token or award, determine the purchase price, and/or generate a virtual token that matches one or more of the user’s attributes. “Matching” may refer to a virtual token that is customized to one or more attributes of the user (e.g., based on demographics, psychographics, geographic location, preferences, etc.) With regards to ecommerce management systems, the calculations may take into account how much of the cart (e.g., a software application that facilitates the purchase of an item (virtual token, product, offsetting instrument, or service) by presenting a representation of that item and provides payment processing capabilities) is green, recycled, or sustainable to determine the purchase price of the resulting carbon footprint offset. Additional calculations may incorporate the amount of energy the computing device the user utilized to connect with the energy intelligence platform  116  consumes on average in a day or other specified time periods. Additional calculations may incorporate the amount of energy the computing device the user utilized to play video games consumes on average in a day or other specified time periods. 
       FIG.  6 A  illustrates an operational flow  600 A of interactions with the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  can interact with a user  620  through a gaming management system  104  to allow for the purchase of RECs in exchange for in-app or in-game purchases such as virtual tokens (e.g., awards, power-ups, custom designs, preferential odds or events, and/or other similar options). 
     A user  620  may initialize an in-platform purchase of a virtual token, such as but not limited to a green power token, that is associated with one or more awards, power-ups, custom designs, preferential odds or events, and/or other similar options to be received in exchange for making a purchase, in which at least a portion of the purchase goes towards the purchase of a REC  640 . The virtual token may include an attribute configured based on a carbon footprint offset of the user of the computing device executing the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  can receive the purchase order or request for processing  642 . When the purchase order is received ( 642 ), the gaming management system  104  can transfer a data set of information to the energy intelligence platform  116  to process a received purchase order ( 644 ). 
     Upon receiving ( 644 ) the purchase order  644 , the REC management system  634  can then perform processing ( 646 ) operations to authenticate, authorize, and/or calculate the REC order. For example, the gamer may need to be authenticated through a credit card or other identifying information (e.g., credentials). Similarly, the same information may be needed to authorize the purchase of a REC in the user’s  620  name or identity. The calculations for a REC order may include historical information, location information, and/or game incentive information. For example, a user  620  from a region with significant renewable energy production may pay less for a REC than one living in an area with less renewable energy production. 
     The energy intelligence platform  116  can create, maintain, and/or store user order history ( 662 ) for subsequent calculations. For example, a user  620  may play across multiple gaming management systems  104  and can benefit from purchasing RECs from any gaming management systems. The creation and maintenance of user order history ( 662 ) can allow users  620  to access the energy intelligence platform  116  for tax incentives or paperwork. In at least one example, the energy intelligence platform  116  may utilize anonymous data to provide renewable energy producers an idea of potential markets, consumption zones, and/or the types of renewable energy credits available. One example of this could be the percentage of users  620  purchasing RECs within 100 miles of a renewable energy production source. 
     The energy intelligence platform  116  can send the REC order to the REC exchange  106 . The REC exchange  106  may receive ( 654 ) the REC order. The REC order can be processed ( 660 ) by the REC exchange  106  along with the payment, and a transfer of the REC to the energy intelligence platform  116  may be initialized. It should be noted that the energy intelligence platform  116  or REC exchange  106  may compile several REC orders together prior to purchasing to allow for a complete purchase order. In these examples, the payment would be a multistep process with one or both parties acting as an intermediary for the gaming management system  104  or user  620 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may receive the REC transfer ( 664 ) from the REC exchange  106 . In some examples, the transfer may include one or more RECs or retirements. 
     The received RECs can then be retired on behalf of the gaming management system  104  and/or user  620 . While illustrated as being performed by the energy intelligence platform  116 , it would be understood that the energy intelligence platform  116  may request the REC exchange  106  to perform the retirement prior to or after the transfer. Upon retirement of the REC, the energy intelligence platform  116  can send a confirmation of the REC retirement to the gaming management system  104  and/or user  620 . When the platform receives ( 676 ) the confirmation of REC retirement, or upon confirmation of the purchase request, the gaming management system  104  can interact with the user  620  to provide them the virtual token (e.g., reward) for making the purchase. For example, in a gaming management system  104 , a virtual token can be transferred ( 674 ) to the user. The user  620  may receive ( 678 ) the virtual token or other reward in the gaming management system  104 . Upon receiving the virtual token, the token or reward may be utilized or shown as part of an event or in-game aspect during a video game session. 
       FIG.  6 B  illustrates an operational flow  600 B of an energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  can interact with a user  620  through the gaming management system  104  to allow for the purchase of RECs in exchange for in-app or in-game purchases, such as virtual tokens (e.g., awards, power-ups, custom designs, preferential odds or events, and/or other similar options). 
     A user  620  initializes an in-platform purchase ( 640 ) of a virtual token, such as but not limited to a green power token, that allows for virtual tokens (e.g., awards, power-ups, custom designs, preferential odds or events, and/or other similar options) to be received in exchange for making a purchase. A portion of the purchase price of the virtual token is used to purchase a REC. The gaming management system  104 , can receive the purchase order or request for processing ( 642 ). When the purchase order is received ( 642 ), the gaming management system  104  can transfer ( 644 ) a data set of information to the energy intelligence platform  116  to process a received purchase order. 
     After receiving the purchase request, the gaming management system  104  may process ( 648 ) the request. Processing can include many different steps or operations, but in at least one example, processing can include extrapolating data, confirming secure data transfer, decrypting secure data such as credit card or other payment information, gathering data from multiple unrecognizable or incompatible sources, recompiling data into usable forms, and/or reencrypting data into a secure form. The processing can allow the energy intelligence platform  116  to utilize a complete data resource in analysis, preparation, and/or execution of various functions and/or operations. 
     The energy intelligence platform  116  may enable scoring ( 650 ) of the user’s  620  request in conjunction with or sequentially with the processing of the request. The scoring of a user’s request can account for the distance from the closest renewable energy generation source, how much renewable energy generation is within a specified distance from the user’s location, how many RECs the user has previously purchased, a user’s rank within a game, the history of purchases from an ecommerce platform, and/or the energy consumed on average by the computing device  102  operating the gaming management system  104 . The scoring can then be utilized to ensure that a proper purchase amount is allocated for the user and/or the gaming management system  104 . 
     The purchase request can be sent ( 652 ) to the REC exchange  106  from the energy intelligence platform  116 . The REC exchange  106  can receive ( 654 ) the purchase request and perform actions necessary to confirm payment, purchasing information, and any information for the certificates. The REC exchange  106  can then complete ( 656 ) the purchase using the information provided. Upon completion of the purchase, the REC exchange  106  can generate ( 658 ) a REC with the REC information. 
     The energy intelligence platform  116  can receive ( 664 ) the completed purchase and REC from the REC exchange  628 . The RECs can then be retired ( 667 ), and the retirement confirmed ( 668 ). The retirement and confirmation can be performed by the energy intelligence platform  116  or the REC exchange  106 . 
     The energy intelligence platform  116  can send ( 670 ) the REC confirmation to the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  can receive the REC ( 676 ) and perform or execute confirmation steps to reward the user  620  for making the purchase. 
     In at least one example, a virtual token (e.g., an in-game element, in-app element, or branding) from the energy intelligence platform  116  is generated ( 672 ) to provide to the gaming management system  104  and allow for cross-branding and licensing of technology and/or interest in renewable energy and renewable energy credits. The in-app or in-game element, once generated, can be sent ( 674 A) to the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  can receive the token or other element ( 674 B) and provide it to a user or allow a user to receive the benefit of the token or element ( 678 ). 
     Some examples of the present disclosure may include combinations of that described above, in various configurations. For example, an energy intelligence platform  116  may receive a purchase request from a gaming management system  104  and allow for a purchase request to be processed. The purchase request can then be assigned a purchase amount and linked to the proper entities and individuals. A REC purchase can then be made from the energy intelligence platform  116  in the name of an entity and/or individual who made the purchase request. The REC may be retired in the name of entity and/or individual, and then a confirmation of the REC purchase and retirement can be made to the gaming management system  104 . 
       FIG.  7    illustrates an asynchronous operational flow  700  of interactions with an energy intelligence system  116  according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. The flow  700  begins ( 702 ) with a consumer or user (e.g., gamer) initiating, using the computing device  102 , a purchase of a virtual token associated with an REC. The computing device may initiate the purchase of the virtual token when a user logs in to the gaming management system  104 , for example. The gaming management system  104  may determine ( 704 ) a pre-computed cost of the virtual token based on one or more users’ carbon footprint offsets of one or more energy consuming devices. For example, the pre-computed cost may have been previously computed and stored in memory associated with the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  may display ( 706 ) the purchase price of the virtual token in a user interface of a storefront application. The gaming management system  104  may also display the virtual token (e.g., graphical object or graphical item). The computing device  102  may transmit ( 708 ) a purchase request to the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  may receive a purchase request for the virtual token. The gaming management system  104  may record ( 710 ) purchase metadata associated with the virtual token. The purchase metadata may include an identity of the user making the purchase, the purchase price of the virtual token, the carbon footprint offset of the one or more users, and the like. 
     In some embodiments, the gaming management system  104  may transmit ( 712 ) a virtual token purchase confirmation to the computing device  102 . The gaming management system  104  may transmit ( 714 ) a bulk REC purchase request (based on the number of RECs determined above) to the energy intelligence system  116 . The energy intelligence system  116  may process ( 716 ) the REC purchases by validating credentials of the user that made the purchase request, by verifying a computing device of the user who made the purchase request, by performing one or more cryptographic techniques to ensure the purchase requests were transmitted securely, and the like. 
     In some embodiments, the gaming management system  104  may request ( 720 ) an updated REC pricing algorithm from the energy intelligence system  116 . The energy intelligence system  116  may determine ( 722 ) the updated pricing algorithm. The updated pricing algorithm may account for various factors, such as the wholesale market price of RECs, the energy-use calculation for gaming and/or ecommerce users, the configuration of electrical generation sources on the power grid in the user’s locale, or some combination thereof. The energy intelligence system  116  may transmit ( 724 ) the updated REC pricing algorithm to the gaming management system  104 . The energy intelligence system  116  may transmit ( 726 ) a bulk REC purchase request to the REC exchange  106 . The bulk REC purchase request may include payment information for the user, an identity of the user, an amount of RECs to purchase, and the like. The REC exchange  106  may execute the purchase by transferring funds from an account associated with the energy intelligence platform to the seller of the REC or to the REC exchange  106  and transferring ownership of the RECs to the identity of the user, to the gaming management system  104 , or both. The REC exchange  106  may transmit ( 728 ) the purchased RECs to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 730 ) a bulk REC retirement request to the REC exchange  106 . The bulk REC retirement request may include information related to the identity of the owner of the RECs, unique identifiers of the RECs, and the like. 
     The REC exchange  106  may retire ( 732 ) the RECs by associating the RECs permanently with the identity of the user and/or entity in a database, setting a flag that the RECs are retired in a database, removing the RECs from circulation, or the like. The REC exchange  106  may transmit ( 734 ) an REC retirement acknowledgement to the energy intelligence platform  116 . 
       FIG.  8    illustrates a hybrid operational flow of interactions with an energy intelligence system  116  according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. The flow  800  begins ( 802 ) with a consumer or user (e.g., gamer) initiating, using the computing device  102 , a purchase of a virtual token associated with an REC. The computing device may initiate the purchase of the virtual token when a user logs in to the gaming management system  104 , for example. The gaming management system  104  may request ( 804 ) an REC virtual token price from the energy intelligence system  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may calculate ( 806 ) the carbon offset cost for one or more users. For example, the energy intelligence platform  116  may use energy usage information pertaining to the users and determine an average carbon footprint offset for the group of users. In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform  116  may determine the carbon footprint offset for the requesting user. Calculating the carbon offset cost may also account for the level of renewable energy certificates (RECs) for a location of a user and a location of the gaming management system  104 , historical purchases, and renewable generation by location. Calculating the carbon offset cost may include determining how many RECs to purchase to offset the one or more users’ carbon footprint. The carbon offset cost may be used to determine an REC purchase price for the user. The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 808 ) the REC purchase price to the gaming management system  104 . 
     The gaming management system  104  may receive the REC purchase price and use it to calculate ( 810 ) an REC virtual token price. The REC virtual token price may include the REC purchase price, as well as other costs, such as taxes, markups, or the like. The gaming management system  104  may return ( 812 ) the REC virtual token purchase price for display in a storefront application on the computing device  102 . The computing device  102  may transmit ( 814 ) an REC token purchase request to the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  may record ( 816 ) purchase metadata. The gaming management system  104  may transmit ( 818 ) an REC virtual token purchase confirmation to the computing device  102 . In some embodiments, the REC virtual token purchase confirmation may include the virtual token that is generated and configured to be deployed in-game of a video game session according to one or more attributes (e.g., functional feature, ornamental feature, etc.). 
     In some embodiments, the gaming management system may transmit ( 820 ) a bulk REC purchase request to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may reconcile ( 822 ) the REC purchases. The energy intelligence platform  116  may reconcile the REC purchases by verifying they include the right number of REC purchases at the right purchase price. The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 824 ) an REC purchase acknowledgement to the gaming management system  104 . 
     In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 826 ) a bulk REC purchase request to the REC exchange  106 . The REC exchange  106  may purchase the RECs from one or more sellers and transmit ( 828 ) the purchase RECs to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may then transmit ( 830 ) a bulk REC retirement request to the REC exchange  106 . The bulk REC retirement request may identify the RECs to be retired, the identities of the user and/or entity associated with the RECs, and the like. The REC exchange  106  may retire ( 832 ) the RECs in the name or identity of the user and/or entity. The REC exchange  106  may transmit ( 834 ) an REC retirement acknowledgement to the energy intelligence platform  116 . 
       FIG.  9    illustrates a synchronous operational flow  900  of interactions with an energy intelligence system  116  according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. The flow  900  begins ( 902 ) with a consumer or user (e.g., gamer) initiating, using the computing device  102 , a purchase of a virtual token associated with an REC. The computing device may initiate the purchase of the virtual token when a user logs in to the gaming management system  104 , for example. The gaming management system  104  may request ( 904 ) an REC virtual token price from the energy intelligence system  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may calculate ( 906 ) the carbon offset cost for one or more users. For example, the energy intelligence platform  116  may use energy usage information pertaining to the users and determine an average carbon footprint offset for the group of users. In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform  116  may determine the carbon footprint offset for the requesting user. Calculating the carbon offset cost may also account for the level of renewable energy certificates (RECs) for a location of a user and a location of the gaming management system  104 , historical purchases, and renewable generation by location. Calculating the carbon offset cost may include determining how many RECs to purchase to offset the one or more users’ carbon footprint. The carbon offset cost may be used to determine an REC purchase price for the user. The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 908 ) the REC purchase price to the gaming management system  104 . 
     The gaming management system  104  may receive the REC purchase price and use it to calculate ( 910 ) an REC virtual token price. The REC virtual token price may include the REC purchase price, as well as other costs, such as taxes, markups, or the like. The gaming management system  104  may return ( 912 ) the REC virtual token purchase price for display in a storefront application on the computing device  102 . The computing device  102  may transmit ( 914 ) an REC virtual token purchase request to the gaming management system  104 . 
     In some embodiments, the gaming management system  104  may transmit ( 916 ) a REC purchase request to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  918  may process ( 918 ) the REC purchase by purchasing the requested REC(s). The energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit ( 920 ) an REC purchase confirmation to the gaming management system  104 . The gaming management system  104  may transmit an REC virtual token purchase confirmation to the computing device  102 . 
       FIG.  10    illustrates an example of a method for a gaming management system according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. The method  1000  may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software, or a combination of both. The method  1000  and/or each of their individual functions, subroutines, or operations may be performed by one or more processors of a computing device (e.g., computing devices  108 ,  102 , and/or  110  of  FIG.  1   ) implementing the method  1000 . The method  1000  may be implemented as computer instructions stored on a memory device and executable by the one or more processors. In certain implementations, the method  1000  may be performed by a single processing thread. Alternatively, the method  1000  may be performed by two or more processing threads, each thread implementing one or more individual functions, routines, subroutines, or operations of the methods. In some embodiments, the method  1000  is performed by a processing device executing the energy intelligence platform  104 . 
     At block  1002 , the processing device may receive configuration input for a virtual token. One or more application programming interfaces of the energy intelligence platform  116  and/or the gaming management system  104  may enable a user to enter the configuration input (e.g., one or more parameters, attributes, elements, components, etc.) for the virtual token. The configuration input may be selected using one or more graphical elements on a user interface. In some embodiments, the configuration input may be received as a digital file, such as an extensible markup language (XML) file format, flat file format, or the like. The digital file may represent the attributes as key-value pairs or with tags. 
     At block  1004 , the processing device may transmit the configuration input to the energy intelligence platform  116  to cause at least one attribute of the virtual token to be modified. The energy intelligence platform  116  may receive the configuration input. The configuration input may specify that the attribute of the virtual token is modified to perform a specific function when deployed in a video game session, or exhibit a specific ornamental feature when represented by the gaming management system  104 . Accordingly, in some embodiments, the virtual token may be associated with an ornamental feature of the virtual token (e.g., an appearance, such as a color, shape, size, text, image, graphic, etc.), a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. 
     At block  1006 , the processing device may cause presentation of a storefront application in the gaming management system  116 . At least a purchase option of an offsetting instrument including an REC is presented in a screen of the storefront application. The offsetting instrument may be associated with the virtual token by the energy intelligence platform  116  or by the gaming management system  116 . 
     At block  1008 , the processing device may receive, from a computing device of a user, a purchase request for the offsetting instrument. The energy intelligence platform  116  may determine a number of offsetting instruments that represent an average of multiple users’ carbon footprint offsets of one or more computing devices. The energy intelligence platform  116  may use energy usage information related to the computing devices, battery charging information related to the computing devices, and the like. The energy intelligence platform  116  may generate a renewable energy score for the purchase request based on a location of the computing device, historical purchase, time of day energy is used, renewable purchases by location, or some combination thereof. The score of the purchase request may be used by the gaming management system  104  to rank the user and the ranking may be used to determine a purchase price for the virtual token. 
     At block  1010 , the processing device may transmit the purchase request to the energy intelligence platform  116 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may cause the offsetting instruments to be retired for the user and/or the gaming management system  104 . The energy intelligence platform  116  may confirm retirement of the offsetting instrument by transmitting a confirmation message to the gaming management system  104  to be presented to the user. Retiring the offsetting instrument may refer to an offsetting instrument exchange removing the certificate from circulation by associating the offsetting instrument permanently with the identity of the user in a tracking system. The tracking system may store the association in a data structure of a memory device. 
     At block  1012 , the processing device may receive the virtual token from the energy intelligence platform  116 . The virtual token may be presented in a user interface of the gaming management system  104 . In some embodiments, the virtual token may be associated with a certain video game. The user may select an option to initiate a video game session for the certain video game. The gaming management system  104  may launch the video game session. 
     At block  1014 , the processing device may deploy the virtual token during the video game session according to the at least one attribute. Deploying the virtual token according to the at least one attribute may refer to controlling, based on the at least one attribute, the functionality and/or presentation of the virtual token during the video game session. The video game session may be provided by the gaming management system  104  executing the video game, and the video game session may be presented on a display device of the computing device  102 . 
       FIG.  11    illustrates an example of a method  1100  for an energy intelligence platform according to certain embodiments of this disclosure. The method  1100  may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (circuitry, dedicated logic, etc.), software, or a combination of both. The method  1100  and/or each of their individual functions, subroutines, or operations may be performed by one or more processors of a computing device (e.g., gaming management system  104 , energy intelligence platform  116 , computing device  102 , and/or REC exchange  106  of  FIG.  1   ) implementing the method  1100 . The method  1100  may be implemented as computer instructions stored on a memory device and executable by the one or more processors. In certain implementations, the method  1100  may be performed by a single processing thread. Alternatively, the method  1100  may be performed by two or more processing threads, each thread implementing one or more individual functions, routines, subroutines, or operations of the methods. In some embodiments, the method  1100  is performed by a processing device executing the energy intelligence platform  116 . 
     At block  1102 , the processing device may receive, from the gaming management system  104 , configuration input associated with a virtual token. The configuration input may specify that the attribute of the virtual token is modified to perform a specific function when deployed in a video game session, or exhibit a specific ornamental feature when represented by the gaming management system  104 . Accordingly, in some embodiments, the virtual token may be associated with an ornamental feature of the virtual token (e.g., an appearance, such as a color, shape, size, text, image, graphic, etc.), a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. 
     At block  1104 , the processing device may modify, based on the configuration input, at least one attribute of the virtual token. In some embodiments, the processing device may modify a second attribute of the virtual token, wherein the second attribute pertains to a carbon footprint offset of the user of a computing device executing the gaming management system  104 . 
     At block  1106 , the processing device may receive, from the gaming management system  116 , a purchase request for an offsetting instrument including a renewable energy certificate (REC) or similarly marketed instrument. The energy intelligence platform  116  may determine a purchase price of the carbon footprint offset of one or more computing devices of the user. In some embodiments, the energy intelligence platform  116  may determine a number of offsetting instruments to purchase to offset the user’s carbon footprint. The purchase price of the carbon footprint offset may be associated with and presented with the virtual token in a storefront application of the gaming management system  104 . 
     At block  1108 , the processing device may transmit the purchase request to an offsetting instrument exchange system. The offsetting instrument exchange system may purchase the offsetting instrument and transfer ownership of the offsetting instrument to the identity of the user and/or the gaming management system  104 . At block  1110 , the processing device may receive the offsetting instrument from the offsetting instrument exchange system. 
     At block  1112 , the processing device may retire the offsetting instrument in the name of the gaming management system  104 , in the name of a user, or both. For example, the energy intelligence platform  116  may transmit, to the offsetting instrument exchange  106  system, a request to retire the offsetting instrument. The ownership of the offsetting instrument may be transferred to an identity of the user. The energy intelligence platform  116  may receive a confirmation that the offsetting instrument exchange  116  system has retired the offsetting instrument. 
     At block  1114 , the processing device may generate the virtual token according to the attributes. In some embodiments, the gaming management system  104  may generate the virtual token. The virtual token may refer to a graphical element or object that is associated with one or more attributes that specify the graphical element or object’s functions and/or appearance, and/or that pertain to a carbon footprint offset of the user of a computing device executing the gaming management system  104 . 
     At block  1116 , the processing device may transmit the virtual token to the gaming management system  104 , and the gaming management system  104  may deploy the virtual token during a video game session according to the attribute that modifies an ornamental feature of the virtual token and/or a functional feature of the virtual token in the video game session. 
     In some embodiments, the processing device executing the energy intelligence platform  116  may aggregate multiple purchase requests. At a predetermined time, the processing device may transmit a bulk purchase request for multiple offsetting instruments to the offsetting instrument exchange  106  system. The processing device may receive the offsetting instruments. In some embodiments, at a second predetermined time, the processing device may transmit a bulk retirement request to the offsetting instrument exchange system to retire the offsetting instruments. The processing device may receive an acknowledgement that the offsetting instruments are retired. 
     In some embodiments, the processing device may receive, from one or more agent applications executing one or more computing devices of users, energy usage information of the one or more computing devices. Further, in some embodiments, the processing device may use the energy usage information to determine the purchase price of the virtual token. 
     In some embodiments, the processing device may provide, via an application programming interface, the virtual token to a social media platform to be associated with a user profile of the user. The application programming interface may be hosted and provided by the social media platform and the energy intelligence platform  116  may communicatively connect to the application programming interface to make one or more function calls. In some embodiments, the application programming interface may enable posting the virtual token in a user profile associated with the user. Such a technique may enable signaling to other users that are “friends” with or subscribed to the user’s social media account that the user has gone “green” by purchasing and retiring one or more offsetting instruments. 
     In some embodiments, the processing device may provide, via a user interface on a computing device of the user, a dashboard including one or more graphical elements associated with the REC purchased by the user, one or more graphical elements associated with a carbon footprint offset by the use, or some combination thereof. 
       FIG.  12    illustrates an example computer system according to embodiments of this disclosure. In one example, computer system  1200  may include one or more components that correspond to the computing device  102 , computing device  108 , or computing device  110  of  FIG.  1   . The computer system  1200  may be connected (e.g., networked) to other computer systems in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. The computer system  1200  may operate in the capacity of a server in a client-server network environment. The computer system  1200  may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet computer, a laptop, a wearable (e.g., wristband), a set-top box (STB), a personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a camera, a video camera, or any device capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that device. Further, while only a single computer system is illustrated, the term “computer” shall also be taken to include any collection of computers that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. 
     The computer system  1200  includes a processing device  1202 , a main memory  1204  (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as synchronous DRAM (SDRAM)), a static memory  1206  (e.g., solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, static random access memory (SRAM)), and a data storage device  1208 , which communicate with each other via a bus  1210 . 
     Processing device  1202  represents one or more general-purpose processing devices such as a microprocessor, central processing unit, or the like. More particularly, the processing device  1202  may be a complex instruction set computing (CISC) microprocessor, reduced instruction set computing (RISC) microprocessor, very long instruction word (VLIW) microprocessor, or a processor implementing other instruction sets or processors implementing a combination of instruction sets. The processing device  1202  may also be one or more special-purpose processing devices such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), network processor, or the like. The processing device  1202  is configured to execute instructions for performing any of the operations and steps of any of the methods discussed herein. 
     The computer system  1200  may further include a network interface device  1212 . The computer system  1200  also may include a video display  1214  (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)), one or more input devices  1216  (e.g., a keyboard and/or a mouse), and one or more speakers  1218  (e.g., a speaker). In one illustrative example, the video display  1214  and the input device(s)  1216  may be combined into a single component or device (e.g., an LCD touch screen). 
     The data storage device  1216  may include a computer-readable medium  1220  on which the instructions  1222  embodying any one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein are stored. The instructions  1222  may also reside, completely or at least partially, within the main memory  1204  and/or within the processing device  1202  during execution thereof by the computer system  1200 . As such, the main memory  1204  and the processing device  1202  also constitute computer-readable media. The instructions  1222  may further be transmitted or received over the network  112  via the network interface device  1212 . 
     While the computer-readable storage medium  1220  is shown in the illustrative examples to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable storage medium” should be taken to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable storage medium” shall also be taken to include any medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution by the machine and that cause the machine to perform any one or more of the methodologies of the present disclosure. The term “computer-readable storage medium” shall accordingly be taken to include, but not be limited to, solid-state memories, optical media, and magnetic media. 
     The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. The embodiments disclosed herein are modular in nature and can be used in conjunction with or coupled to other embodiments, including both statically-based and dynamically-based equipment. In addition, the embodiments disclosed herein can employ selected equipment such that they can identify individual users and auto-calibrate threshold multiple-of-body-weight targets, as well as other individualized parameters, for individual users. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It should be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. 
     The above discussion is meant to be illustrative of the principles and various embodiments of the present disclosure. Numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications. 
     Clauses 
     1. A computer-implemented method for a processing device executing a gaming management system, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:
     receiving configuration input for a virtual token;   transmitting the configuration input to an energy intelligence platform to cause at least one attribute of the virtual token to be modified;   causing presentation of a storefront application in the gaming management system, wherein at least a purchase option of an offsetting instrument comprising a renewable energy certificate (REC) is presented, and the offsetting instrument is associated with the virtual token;   receiving, from a computing device of a user, a purchase request for the offsetting instrument;   transmitting the purchase request to the energy intelligence platform;   receiving the virtual token from the energy intelligence platform; and   deploying the virtual token during a video game session according to the at least one attribute.   

     2. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the energy intelligence platform determines a number of offsetting instruments that represent an average of a plurality of users’ carbon footprint offsets of one or more computing devices. 
     3. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the energy intelligence platform causes the offsetting instruments to be retired for the user and confirms retirement of the offsetting instruments. 
     4. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the video game session is provided by the gaming management system. 
     5. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the attribute is associated with an ornamental feature of the virtual token, a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. 
     6. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the energy intelligence platform generates a renewable energy score for the purchase request based on a location of the computing device, historical purchases, time of day energy is used, renewable purchases by location, or some combination thereof. 
     7. A computer-implemented method for a processing device executing an energy intelligence platform, wherein the computer-implemented method comprises:
     receiving, from a gaming management system, configuration input associated with a virtual token;   modifying, based on the configuration input, at least one attribute of the virtual token;   receiving, from the gaming management system, a purchase request for an offsetting instrument comprising a renewable energy certificate (REC);   transmitting the purchase request to an offsetting instrument exchange system;   receiving the offsetting instrument from the offsetting instrument exchange system;   retiring the offsetting instrument in the name of the gaming management system, in the name of a user, or both;   generating the virtual token according to the at least one attribute; and   transmitting the virtual token to the gaming management system, wherein the gaming management system deploys the virtual token during a video game session according to the at least one attribute.   

     8. The method of any preceding clause, further comprising:
     transmitting, to the offsetting instrument exchange system, a request to retire the offsetting instrument; and   receiving a confirmation that the offsetting instrument exchange system has retired the offsetting instrument.   

     9. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising:
     aggregating a plurality of purchase requests;   at a predetermined time, transmitting a bulk purchase request for a plurality of offsetting instruments to the offsetting instrument exchange system; and   receiving the plurality of offsetting instruments.   

     10. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising:
     at a second predetermined time, transmitting a bulk retirement request to the offsetting instrument exchange system to retire the plurality of offsetting instruments; and   receiving an acknowledgement that the plurality of offsetting instruments are retired.   

     11. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising determining a purchase price of the carbon footprint offset of one or more computing devices of the user. 
     12. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising:
     receiving, from one or more agent applications executing one or more computing devices of users, energy usage information of the one or more computing devices; and   using the energy usage information to determine the purchase price of the virtual token.   

     13. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, wherein the attribute is associated with an ornamental feature of the virtual token, a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. 
     14. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising providing, via an application programming interface, the virtual token to a social media platform to be associated with a user profile of the user. 
     15. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising providing, via a user interface on a computing device of the user, a dashboard comprising one or more graphical elements associated with the REC purchased by the user, one or more graphical elements associated with a carbon footprint offset by the user, or some combination thereof. 
     16. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising transferring ownership of the offsetting instrument to an identity of the user. 
     17. The computer-implemented method of any preceding clause, further comprising modifying a second attribute of the virtual token, wherein the second attribute pertains to a carbon footprint offset of the user of a computing device executing the gaming management system. 
     18. A system comprising:
     a memory device storing instructions; and   a processing device communicatively coupled to the memory device, wherein the processing device is configured to:   receive, from a gaming management system, configuration input associated with a virtual token;   modify, based on the configuration input, at least one attribute of the virtual token;   receive, from the gaming management system, a purchase request for an offsetting instrument comprising a renewable energy certificate (REC) or similarly marketed instruments;   transmit the purchase request to an offsetting instrument exchange system;   receive the offsetting instrument from the offsetting instrument exchange system;   retire the offsetting instrument in the name of the gaming management system, in the name of a user, or both;   generate the virtual token according to the at least one attribute; and   transmit the virtual token to the gaming management system, wherein the gaming management system uses the virtual token during a video game session according to the at least one attribute.   

     19. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to:
     transmit, to the offsetting instrument exchange system, a request to retire the offsetting instrument; and   receive a confirmation that the offsetting instrument exchange system has retired the offsetting instrument.   

     20. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to:
     aggregate a plurality of purchase requests;   at a predetermined time, transmit a bulk purchase request for a plurality of offsetting instruments to the offsetting instrument exchange system; and   receive the plurality of offsetting instruments.   

     21. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to:
     at a second predetermined time, transmit a bulk retirement request to the offsetting instrument exchange system to retire the plurality of offsetting instruments; and   receive an acknowledgement that the plurality of offsetting instruments are retired.   

     22. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to determine a purchase price of the carbon footprint offset of a computing device of a user of the computing device that transmitted the purchase request. 
     23. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to:
     receive, from one or more agent applications executing one or more computing devices of users, energy usage information of the one or more computing devices; and   use the energy usage information to determine a purchase price of the virtual token.   

     24. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the attribute is associated with an ornamental feature of the virtual token, a functional feature of the virtual token, or some combination thereof. 
     25. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the processing device is further to transmit, via an application programming interface, the virtual token to a social media platform to be associated with a user profile of the user. 
     26. The system of any preceding clause, wherein the offsetting instrument comprises a forestation certificate, a recycling certificate, a green or carbon-capture certificate, or some combination thereof.