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POWERHOGS Solar Electricity

Our Money, Your Benefits

REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
Customer Requirements

Prepared and Submitted by: Sri Nikhil Gupta Gourisetti

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CONTENTS:
2.1 Introductionpage. 3 2.2 Requirements..page. 4 2.2. 1 2.2. 2 2.2. 3 2.2. 4 Input/Output Requirements..page. 4 Technology & System wide Requirements..page. 5 Trade-off Requirements....page. 6 System Qualification Requirements.page. 6

2.3 Tying up the knots-Customer Requirements..page. 7 2.4 Conclusion..page. 14

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2.1 Introduction:
Once the main objective of the system is defined and analyzed. The next immediate step to be considered is the requirements of the system that includes design requirements, cost requirements, performance requirements, trade-off requirements and system acceptance requirements. Those mentioned above are very few in many. Fig.1 shows a clear picture of four requirement categories that plays a vital role starting from the system definition to the system acceptance phase.

Requirements

Input / Output Requirements

Technology &System wide Requirements

Trade-off Requirements

Acceptance Requirements

Fig.1 Important System Requirements

Requirements play a vital role in system design and acceptance as that is what talks about the customers or stakeholders main objectives. Before the system engineering team undergoes the whole process of the two main (only) phases i.e., 1. Decomposition and definition and 2. Integration qualification, it is very important to understand the customers requirements. Now, when the company uses the word customers requirements it means in two significant ways: 1. What the company expects from its customers. 2. What the customers expects from the company. So, this phase of requirements is a two way process. It is important to both the segments of this phase i.e., the company and the customer to meet the mentioned requirements. Fig.2 depicts the flow of requirements between the only two important segments.

Company

Requirements Customer or Stake Holder

Fig.2 Two way process diagram of Requirements phase of a system.

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Fig.1 is very important to understand before we discuss about customer requirements because the basic and in-depth customer requirements ties around the 4 sections that are described in Fig.1. So, before, getting into the listing the requirements of the company POWERHOGS Solar Electricity, it is good to have a brief discussion on why are those 4 categories of requirements are so important in a customers perspective. The next section speaks about the sub-categories of the defined requirements in Fig.1 and their influence on acceptance of a system by the customer.

2.2 Requirements:
In this section, we will briefly talk about the different types of requirements we mentioned in section 2.1. We will not go into depth but in the later sections we will see how these are related to our main listing of customer requirements.

2.2.1 Input / Output Requirements (IOR):

This is the initial road block that should be crossed. The name itself suggests what it is and how it is going to influence the entire system including the customer and the company. Fig.3 gives an insight about this category of requirements.

Input Requirements

External Interface Constraints

IOR

Functional Requirements

Output Requirements

Fig.3. Input / Output Requirements Chart

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Input / Output Requirements Customer Perspective:

What output the customer expects from the system i.e., what kind of output the system

must generate. What kind of functions the customer expects the system to perform i.e., what kind of functions the system must perform. What kind of input the customer expects to give to the system (if there is any). In this project, the customer dont have to worry about this i.e., the customer shouldnt have any particular requirement because the customer will not give any kind of input to the system.

2.2.2 Technology and System wide Requirements (TSwR):

This speaks about the technology used, time and schedule and things like that. This is not much of the customers section to worry about. But as a part of the Requirements section, the text speaks a little about this. Fig.4 depicts its key points.

Technology to be incorporated into the system

The suitability of the system

TSwR Schedule issues (development time, operational life of the system)

Cost of the system

Fig.4. Technology and System wide Requirements

Technology and System wide Requirements Customer Perspective:

The customer might want to know about the system suitability and when we talk about customers want, thats nothing but another requirement. The customer might want the system to be undergone suitability tests before he/she wishes to accept the system. As a bottom note, system suitability can be defined as the checking of a system, before or during analysis of unknowns, to ensure system performance." Typically its the system engineering teams job to take care of this issue.

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Is the customer worried about the cost of the system which includes initial investment, periodic payments etc? Of course yes. So, cost of the system is one of the important customer requirements. Another way to see this segment is the designing team should consider this and should take care of cost issues. No customer would buy or intend to buy a system without knowing its operational life time. So, again operational lifetime is one of the key customer requirements.

2.2.3 Trade-off Requirements (ToR):

If there is any segment the customer might stick his/her eyes on, this is the one! The system engineering team should give a great importance to this section. If why is the question, Fig.5 should answer it perfectly.

ToR

PerformanceTradeoffs

Cost Trade-offs

Cost-Performance Trade-offs

Fig.5. Trade-off Requirements

Trade-off Requirements Customer Perspective:

A one line explanation to this is the system overall performance and its overall cost (as

said in the previous section) are very important customer requirements. The obviously want the system to be relatively cheaper and with better performance.

2.2.4 System Qualification Requirements (SQR):

This is the last phase or requirements section. Once, the system is through this, and once the customer feels satisfied with the system qualification results, he/she will accept the system. Fig.6 shows about the steps that the system has to undergo in this phase. System Qualification Requirements Customer Perspective: Customer requires the system to be verified. Customer requires the system to be validated. Customer requires the system to be tested and see positive test results.

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Verification
SQR

Validation

Testing
Fig.6. System Qualification Requirements

2.3 Tying up the knots- Customer Requirements:

Now, it is the time to tie up the knots. Lets try to relate everything that we went through in the previous sections to the main objective of the assignment i.e., customer requirements i.e., what a customer might want or expect from POWERHOGS Solar Electricity company. Customer requirements vary in a wide range: from a very basic requirement like cost to highly technical-concerned requirement like Carbon footprint. The company might not be able to provide all the customer requirements but should work to provide whatever they can (to the maximum extent). There can be many things customer want and want to know about, listed are the few most important and commonly asked customer requirements: 1. Must receive the electricity from POWERHOGS Solar Electricity 2. Cost of the System 3. Performance of the System 4. Eco-friendly 5. Shock proof 6. Manual control switch 7. Installation Procedure 8. Warranty 9. Contract Policy 10. Customer Service 11. Acceptance proof or acceptance requirements 12. Billing methods 13. Power meter and Smart meter. 14. Stakeholders requirement document and Terms & Conditions document 15. Efficiency 16. Tutorial 17. Security 18. Grid Storage availability and choices 19. Frequency and voltage instability detection 20. Demand response 21. Customer feedback and survey opportunity Lets go in depth about all these requirements in the following section.

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1. Must receive the electricity from POWERHOGS Solar Electricity: This is not a highly common question because the answer is obvious but some skeptic customers who are highly fraud-concerned might want a written or at least a verbal assurance that the electricity they receive is solely from POWERHOGS solar electricity company. 2. Cost of the system: This is what every customer wants to know. One of the important reasons for why the customer should switch his electricity company is the cost. This small important segment is divided into: (a) Initial investment or initial cost (b) Periodic payments. See Fig.7 for cost topology.

Initial Investment

Total Cost
Periodic Payments Fig.7 Cost topology

Initial investment involves the bulk payment the customer might have to do in the starting like security money, equipment charges etc and the periodic payments involve monthly bills-an estimate etc. As we mentioned in our terms and conditions, the customer dont have to pay any initial installation charges and might have to pay fully-refundable security money. Additional equipment like voltage stabilizers etc do not come under the initial installation, so based on the usage, the customer have to buy the other equipments. Monthly billing charges are based on the usage range. Unlike other electricity producers, we set a range of power consumption classes. The classes are mainly divided into (a) Residential Classes (b) Commercial Classes. These are again sub-divided into several classes. The customer falls into a particular class based on his previous records, current estimated power consumption, usage criteria-residential or commercial etc and the classes are subject to change. The cost for any particular class is pre-determined. Fig.8 shows some of the residential classes that are developed by our company so far. Discounts, benefits, offers and bundles differ from class to class. It can be observed from Fig.8 that the last class if Class-I and all the customers whose monthly usage is $300 and above will fall into category. The class range is based on the survey we did to determine the monthly electricity usage. These classes will be reviewed once in every year and the customers will be re-assigned based on their previous year usage and all the above mentioned factors.

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Residential Cost Classes

Class-A ($0-$50)
Class-C ($101-$125)
Class-E ($151-$200) Class-G ($226-265) Class-I ($300 & +)

Class-B ($51-$100)

Class-D ($126-$150)

Class-F ($201-$225)

Class-H ($266-299)

Fig.8 Hierarchical representation of Residential Cost Classes

3. Performance of the System: Performance is the next important factor. It is our job to make sure our system performs better than the other companies like entergy etc. That is the only way we can expect the customer to prefer our system over the other. We have a chart of elements that determine the net performance of the system and these element readings are based on the proto-type design under ideal conditions. 4. Eco-Friendly: It is our job to make sure our system is environmental friendly. Customers are concerned about this requirement as much as we are concerned. Fig.9 shows four most important elements the customers might ask about:

Sound

Heat

Crbon Foot print

Biohazards

Fig.9 Important Ecological Elements

The customer might want to know if the system produces any kind of disturbing sounds, external and internal heating, and any kind of bio-hazards are involved in the system etc. Some customers might even ask about the carbon foot print. Since we are implementing smart grid technology, it reduces the carbon foot print. 5. Shock Proof: This is a very important factor as it is really dangerous. The customers require the company to provide a shock proof equipment and environment. We assure the customers that the entire wiring of the system is externally insulated with 0% leakage to provide the customers a safe home experience.

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6. Manual control switch: For any particular reason like due to some natural calamity, internal damage etc, if the user experiences any unstable or imbalanced power fluctuations, we provide them with a manual control switch pressing which disables the entire system for that particular house and can be enabled with the same switch. If the user experiences any of the above mentioned issues, we suggest the user to disable the system and extract the minimum power from the grid (which is automatic and manual) and call our customer services for immediate help. 7. Installation Procedure: The customer might ask if our team is going to come to their home to install the system and the answer is yes. Once the customer submits the online application with required verification or telephone submission, within 24-48 hours (1-2 business days) the installation team will be at their house at the scheduled appointment. They will take care of wiring and everything. The customer DOESNT have to worry about this. Once the customer signs the documents, he/she is in safe hands! 8. Warranty: We provide warranty on the entire system for one year without any cost. Upon the completion of one year warranty, the customer can extend it to another three years for a certain amount or can remain under no-warranty. Once the system warranty expires, the customer has to purchase any element if damaged. Warranty DO NOT cover the items purchased separately like stabilizers etc. They have their own warranty policy. 9. Contract Policy: Yes, there is a one year minimum contract the customer is supposed to sign and after that, the customer is supposed to renew the contract. There is no maximum contract time limit. If the customer is willing to sign the contract for 10 years, we are more than happy to accept.\ 10. Customer Service: There is a 24x7 toll free customer care number listed in the contact us page of our website as well as the system manual we provide at the time of installation. The customer can feel free to contact us for any assistance. The customer will not be charged for any kind of help provided by our customer care representative on phone. If there is any hardware problem that should be treated by a technician, the customer will be charged up on completion of the work based on his warranty status and class he belongs to for the current billing cycle. 11. Acceptance proof and acceptance requirements: We assure that we will provide acceptance proof to the customer. The system or the equipment associated with it is verified, validated and tested. All the results and documents are given to the customers at the time of installation and contract agreement. Fig.6 shows the elements of this segment. 12. Billing Methods: As per the customers choice, an email or an SMS is sent to the customer once a particular billing cycle is finished or the customer can check from his/her online account about the bill details and usage. The customer can create the account using the reference number we provide upon installation and the online registration is for free. Upon logging in, the customer can see the details of his plan, class, previous and current bills etc. The customers account will be active until he/she is

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using our service and up to 6 months from the day of cancellation of service. The customer can also call our customer care service-billing section to pay the bill. The customer can also set up an automatic bill payment with the card details, and upon the completion of a particular billing cycle, well charge the card with the customers involvement. Once the bill is approved, a receipt is sent to the email id provided by the customer. The customer is also given an option to choose (a) paper-bill (b) paperless bill. If paper-bill is chosen, an email is sent upon the acceptance of the bill and can also be accessed for the respective account using the user name, password or reference number, password and a paper bill is sent on the same day. The customer will receive the paperreceipt in 3-5 business days. If paperless bill is chosen, no paper receipt is sent to the customer, but all the notifications mentioned above are applicable. 13. Power meter and Smart meter: A power meter and a smart meter is installed in the customers house without any charges. This helps the customer to have a note on his usage. Fig.10 depicts the basic use of a smart meter.

Fig.10 Smart Meter Function

Smart meters are based on programmable solid state metering technology.

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The meter and the utility communicate wirelessly and its two way. It connects to the utility via internet and track energy use. See Fig.10 & 11. Smart Meter Utility

Wireless

Fig.11 Wireless network technology between smart meter and utility

It records and transmits hourly readings to the utility It is upgradable for any kind of future innovations Helps the customer to understand and manage energy use and control energy costs. It alerts the customer about the usage. Can be used with home area network to connect to smart devices to respond to pricing signals from the grid. 14. Stakeholders requirement document and Terms & conditions document: These documents are part of the contract that will be between the customer and the company. The customer can also access these documents from our website using his/her login details. These are legally documented and should cover every single policy of the company, upon violation the customer might have to face legal consequences. Similarly, if the company performs any act that is not mentioned in the documents, the customer has every right to question us and we will be open to discuss and sort it out. 15. Efficiency: System overall efficiency is an important factor. Our company will do everything to provide the customers a well efficient system with which they will be fully satisfied. We assure that the efficiency of our system is far better than that of other electricity producers in the country. 16. Tutorial: Our installation team will explain the customer with a short tutorial and will provide a CD and a document that clearly explains all the safety precautions and basic troubleshooting techniques. This tutorial is also available on our website for free. If the customer wants another tutorial by our company individual, it will be provided but the customer will be charged. The charges are based on the billing-class he/she belongs to. The customer can request the language of tutorial he/she is willing to see. The tutorial is available in 11 different languages and is also listed in our website. The languages are listed below: English Hindi Turkish Spanish French German Portuguese Arabic Standard Chinese Italian Japanese

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17. Security: All of the customers purchase, account, hardware is fully secured. The customer does not have to worry about the security of the system. Fig.12 shows important elements of security the customer might be highly concerned and the company provides full security for all the elements mentioned in Fig.12.

Hardware

Online account

Security
System emergency restoration

Purchases & money paid

Fig.12 Important security elements chart

18. Grid storage availability and Choices: Yes, the grid system is installed by our company and the customer is provided with a huge variety of grid storage element choices. He/she can choose any of the following choices: Batteries (Suggested) Super and Ultra Capacitors (Suggested) Flywheels SMES (Semiconductor Magnetic Energy Storage) CAES (Compressed Energy Storage) 19. Frequency and Voltage instability detection: An indicator is fixed in the customers building wherever he/she want, that will indicate if there is any frequency or voltage instability. The instability detectors are internally connected to this indicator. The indicator has 2 functions (a) blink continuously until the customer takes an action (ex: disable the indicator) (b) continuous alarm sound until the customer takes an action (c) both (a) and (b). We suggest the customer to purchase our voltage stabilizers. They are highly effective and really inexpensive. 20. Demand Response: We provide the customers with this technology. In electricity grids, demand response (DR) is similar to dynamic demand mechanisms to manage customer consumption of electricity in response to supply conditions, for example, having electricity customers reduce their consumption at critical times or in response to market prices[1].
[1] www.wikipedia.org

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21. Customer feedback and survey opportunity: If the customer is willing to provide the feedback, we will be glad to accept it. By default, after each call and after each month of billing, a survey or a feedback form is emailed to the customer. It is not mandatory for the customer to fill that, but we request the customer to take a minute and give us a feedback and help us provide better service. Other than this, if the customer is willing to provide feedback, he/she can also do it from our website when ever he/she wants.

2.4 Conclusion:
Those are the most common questions or requirements a customer could possibly demand from our company. There can be many more other than those mentioned in this document. Other details will be mentioned in our term and conditions document and we can also explain them clearly to the customer upon request. We strive to provide the best possible service in the country because we want our customers to be happier than ever. Thank you for choosing POWERHOGS Solar Electricity, you made a right choice.