EcoFund

EcoFund is a solar energy investment platform that connects homeowners, investors, and vendors. It facilitates the funding and installation of solar panels and manages monthly energy payments through a manual UPI-based flow. The platform is built to work without KYC or IoT integration.

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Tech Stack

Frontend

• Flutter (Dart)
• SharedPreferences for local storage
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for notifications

Backend

• Node.js with Express.js framework
• PostgreSQL database
• JWT for authentication
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM)

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Features

• Universal registration requiring UPI ID and PAN card details
• Homeowners submit properties and get assigned vendors automatically by city
• Vendors verify properties, submit quotes, and log monthly energy production
• Investors browse and invest in properties (each property split into 1000 units)
• Homeowners pay monthly based on energy produced; payments confirmed manually in-app
• Real-time notifications for key events using FCM
• Dashboard views for homeowners, investors, and vendors showing relevant data and progress
• Graphs for energy output, savings, and carbon offset tracking

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Project Structure

EcoFund/
├── Frontend/    # Flutter mobile app
├── Backend/     # Node.js + Express + PostgreSQL API

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Getting Started

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/vishruth-r/ecofund.git
cd ecofund

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the Backend directory:

cd Backend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create a .env file in the Backend folder with the following variables:

PORT=5000
DB_URL=postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/ecofund
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
FCM_SERVER_KEY=your_fcm_server_key (optional if using Firebase service account)

4. Start the backend server:

npm start

The backend will be available at http://localhost:5000.

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Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the Frontend directory:

cd ../Frontend

2. Get Flutter dependencies:

flutter pub get

3. Run the Flutter app on an emulator or connected device:

flutter run

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Firebase Setup (for Notifications)

To enable push notifications via Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), follow these steps:

1. Create a Firebase project:

• Go to the Firebase Console
• Create a new project if you haven’t already

2. Use Firebase CLI for setup:

• Install Firebase CLI if not already installed:

  npm install -g firebase-tools
  

• Login to Firebase:

  firebase login
  

• Initialize Firebase in your project root:

  firebase init
  

  This will configure necessary files and services.

3. Add Android and iOS apps in Firebase Console:

• Register your app package names:

  • Android: applicationId from android/app/build.gradle
  • iOS: your Xcode bundle identifier

• Download the configuration files:

  • google-services.json for Android → place in android/app/
  • GoogleService-Info.plist for iOS → place in ios/Runner/

4. Backend configuration for sending notifications:

• Although Firebase CLI sets up the client side, your backend needs credentials to send FCM messages.

• You have two options:

  • Use FCM Server Key:

    • Go to Firebase Console > Project Settings > Cloud Messaging tab
    • Copy the Server key
    • Set it as FCM_SERVER_KEY in your backend .env file

  • Use Firebase Service Account:

    • In Firebase Console, go to Project Settings > Service accounts
    • Generate a new private key JSON file
    • Use this JSON in your backend to authenticate server-to-server FCM messaging securely

5. Run the app:

• Your Flutter app will now be able to receive push notifications sent by your backend via FCM.

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User Roles and Responsibilities

Homeowners

• Register and submit property details including UPI and PAN
• Automatically assigned a vendor based on property city
• Receive vendor quote and approve payment via UPI QR code or UPI ID
• View monthly energy production, savings, and carbon offset data
• Make monthly payments based on energy usage, confirm payment in-app

Vendors

• Verify homeowner properties physically
• Submit installation quotes through the app
• Log monthly energy production manually
• Receive payments from EcoFund post installation and funding

Investors

• Browse available solar panel projects open for investment
• Invest in units of the property (up to 1000 units per property)
• Track investment progress and expected returns
• Receive returns as homeowners make monthly payments

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Payment Flow

• All payments are manual and done via UPI using QR codes or UPI IDs displayed in the app
• No payment gateway or automated transaction processing is integrated
• Users manually confirm payments by clicking a “Payment Completed” button in the app
• EcoFund manages distribution of payments to vendors and investors

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Notes

• Vendors enter consumption and energy data manually
• Property funding immediately triggers installation (assumed)
• Notifications for all key events are sent through Firebase Cloud Messaging

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

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