Patent ID: 7860808

Claim:
A computer-implemented method comprising: retrieving, from a nonvolatile storage media, a travel plan corresponding to an energy-consuming device, wherein the energy-consuming device moves along a route between a first location and a second location indicated in the travel plan, and wherein the energy-consuming device includes a fossil-fuel based generator; identifying one or more renewable energy generators accessible to the energy-consuming device, wherein each of the renewable energy generators includes a renewable energy type and one or more generation parameters; calculating, by a processor, an amount of energy needed for the energy-consuming device to travel from the first location to the second location; retrieving one or more environmental energy factors based upon the route and the renewable energy type of each renewable energy generator, wherein one of the retrieved environmental energy factors comprises predicted solar energy data available while the energy-consuming devices travels along the route, the predicted solar energy data comprising forecasted available sunlight data and a forecasted cloudiness rating for one or more intermediate locations between the first location and the second location; retrieving one or more solar energy conversion parameters corresponding to a solar power generator, the solar power generator being one of the identified renewable energy generators; calculating, by the processor, a first amount of renewable energy available to the energy-consuming device while the energy-consuming device travels along the route, wherein the processor calculates the first amount of renewable energy based upon the predicted solar energy data for each of the intermediate locations and the retrieved solar energy conversion parameters; determining that the amount of energy needed is greater than the first amount of renewable energy available; in response to the determining, calculating an optimal amount of time to run a fossil-fuel based generator; and running the fossil-fuel based generator for the calculated optimal amount of time.