#business #idea # [[Epistemic status]] long-range, contrarian but plausible #shower-thought #to-digest # Related - [[Ideation]] - [[Start-up ideation]] --- ## Start-up Idea: **DarkGrid** – “Open Source Autonomous Microgrid Management” --- ## Problem/opportunity Rural areas, military bases, disaster zones, and developing nations need **local energy autonomy**. But managing solar, batteries, diesel, and consumption is hard—humans can’t optimize it in real time. #### Can you state the problem clearly? "Most microgrids are dumb and require manual tuning, leading to outages or waste." #### Have you experienced it yourself? Not directly, but fits your obsession with resilience, edge tech, and decentralized systems. #### Can you define the problem narrowly? Yes. Build an open microgrid controller that runs locally and manages energy sources + loads with AI. #### Is it solvable? Yes. Real-time ML + sensors + modular control = solvable on modern edge devices. --- ## Solution Local-first energy OS for homes, villages, or facilities. It learns usage, forecasts weather, optimizes battery/diesel/solar flows autonomously. Runs on cheap hardware. Open-source core. #### Are you affected by [[the programmer syndrome]]? Maybe. Tech is sexy, but there’s real demand from NGOs, defense, off-grid projects. --- ## Markets/customers/users - Defense (forward operating bases) - NGOs (off-grid villages) - Wealthy preppers / off-grid homes - Small island nations - Disaster response systems - Eco-villages, homesteaders - Solar installers (white-label) --- ## Why - Popular: no—emerging - Growing: yes, resilience + climate shocks = rising demand - Urgent: critical in disaster/conflict zones - Expensive: grid failure = lives lost or millions wasted - Mandatory: for independence where the grid is broken or absent - [[Founder-market-fit]]: systems brain, love for OSS, geopolitical lens - [[What's your unfair advantage?]]: - OSS experience - Strong energy systems understanding - Could attract open-source contributors + bootstrap in fringe markets #microgrid-management #energy-autonomy