4 reasons to monitor your energy production
Khanya Gubangxa
Solar monitoring systems allow end users a comprehensive understanding of their solar installations: to track performance, voltage, temperature, energy production, defects,
However, many organizations do not see the full potential of monitoring their solar installation. They are thus forgoing the significant financial, operational and reputational opportunities associated with monitoring systems.
Discover the 4 main benefits of monitoring systems for your solar installations in this article.
Reason 1: Increasing knowledge & control
Before site data collection and monitoring, companies are often unaware of the full performance of their installations. In many cases, a decrease in equipment efficiency goes unnoticed – since it is not tracked continuously.
A monitoring system brings transparency to solar installations.
The data collected is turned into advanced KPIs and displayed on dynamic dashboards that benefit multiple actors: O&M teams, asset managers, building owners, etc. It facilitates reporting and can lead to corrective actions in order to maximize energy production.
Reason 2: Enhancing cost-effectiveness
After being analyzed, data issued from energy monitoring systems provide an accurate reflection of the energy production and global infrastructure. From this information, it is possible to quantify saving potential and to have a snapshot of the installation’s financial situation.
a - Reducing operational cost
In prioritizing the use of renewable sources and maximizing solar penetration, energy purchase from the grid or from fossil fuel can be reduced, resulting in a general decrease of operational cost.
Relevant KPIs such as performance ratio also enables operators to compare the actual energy production to the ideal one. In case of a solar diesel installation monitoring a multi-energy site will help you track the usage of a diesel generator and anticipate on maintenance and of the system.
b - Computing installation ROI
Computing the carbon emissions avoided as well as the operational savings generated can help building owners to evaluate the return on investments of solar installations.
Reason 3: Easing maintenance, increasing reliability
A typical monitoring solution like Elum’s ePowerMonitor displays site diagnosis through detection of equipment failures. An easy configuration of alarms will trigger custom email alarms alerting the operator of any abnormal drift in production, resulting in reduced resolution time. The solution is able to display as well the alarm of the material that is displayed locally in one unified dashboard.
Reason 4: Supporting CSR objectives
Naturally, increasing solar penetration will reduce the consumption of fuels or electricity coming from the grid and further the emission of greenhouse gas and pollution.
Monitoring the effort spent on reducing carbon footprint can help organizations reach their CSR goals as well as being compliant with government targets. Companies able to justify their participation in the battle against global warming in tracking their carbon footprint and reducing C02 emission will be strongly legitimate. As well as reduce the country’s dependence on foreign sources.
Greening a company is a fantastic way to garner a positive image of the organization.
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Implementing a solution such as ePowerMonitor will be a key asset for your installation, in optimizing its overall performance.
This advanced tracking software is just a click away.
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