Natural Fuse is a micro-scale CO2 monitoring and overload protection framework that works locally and globally, harnessing the carbon-sinking capabilities of plants. A power socket enables people to power or recharge their electrical appliances and devices while the plant’s growth offsets the carbon footprint of the energy expended. Since typical energy use requires more than one plant to offset an appliance’s carbon footprint, Natural Fuses are networked so that unused carbon offsetting capacity in the network as a whole can be accounted for as necessary.

Natural Fuses allow only a limited amount of energy to be expended in the system: that amount is balanced by the amount of CO2 that can be absorbed by the plants that are growing in the system. By networking them together, the units can “borrow” excess capacity from other units not currently being used in order to share their capacity and take advantage of carbon-sinking-surplus in the system as a whole, since it is likely that not all Natural Fuses will be in use at any one time.

Features

• IoT-enabled plant pot that monitors water levels and irrigates the plant
• Evaluates carbon sequestering and encourages ‘cooperative’ behaviour change around energy consumption
• Micro-scale demand response system that controls power consumption by devices that are plugged into it

Expected Outcomes

• A community of owners can better manage their energy consumption in order to reduce their collective carbon footprint
• People feel empowered to decide what situations require energy consumption, while still reducing energy consumption in other areas
• Encourages behaviour change through cooperation rather than competition (as in other shared energy initiatives)

Use Cases

• A community or neighbourhood looking to manage their energy and carbon resources
• An urban development that prioritises sustainability and behaviour change
• A company looking to empower their employees to be more energy conscious