Grid & Generator - Versatile Problem, Simple Solution
Overview
Taking an in-depth look at remote energy assets’ and sites’ data can reveal a wealth of performance metrics and potential optimizations. Many remote facilities like base stations and data centers rely on a variety of different energy assets to maintain continuous service.
However, what happens if you don’t have that many energy assets operating on your sites? What should you do if you need a focused platform to monitor less robust energy systems?
In the case of many facilities like embassies, banks, and commercial offices, they also have to contend with energy inconsistencies and inefficiencies, albeit on a smaller, simpler scale. Oftentimes, these facilities only rely on direct grid access, with generators onsite in place for backup power in the case of outages.
Even if only two energy assets are relied upon, stakeholders may have no real idea how these assets are performing or if preventative maintenance might be necessary to maintain uptime. It is difficult to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs if you don’t know what the issue is in the first place.
Moreover, especially when an organization is dealing with clusters of locations spread out geographically, they need to be able to manage all those facilities comfortably and remotely. Otherwise, you will need to visit each one separately with an onsite technician to perform most optimizations and fixes.
The Customer and Their Challenges
A large embassy in Uganda provides lodging for their workers and dignitaries off-site. To that end, each of these residences relies on the grid with a generator as backup. However, it is extremely time-consuming and work-intensive to constantly check the stability of each of these locations. In addition, generators can often run even when the grid is available due to misconfiguration, and this could only be discovered by visiting the specific site.
If a generator runs under load, it uses 4 to 6 liters of fuel per hour, and 1 to 2 liters of fuel when running idle. This can cause a significant waste of fuel and raise the frequency of refueling. These misconfigurations could also cause undue wear and tear on these energy assets, compromising their when they are needed most.
Lastly, fuel thieves are wising up. They are able to start a generator and run it on idle, and then siphon off several liters every hour that would have been used under . Without active visibility and tracking of fuel levels and use, it is impossible to detect whether the missing fuel is due to inefficiency or pilferage.
Galooli’s Solution
Galooli has achieved a hyper-focused orientation for our solution that provides live monitoring and management capabilities for these assets. This includes monitoring performance, alerts to outages or potential malfunctions, and remote-control capabilities to remotely turn generators on and off.
We also provide energy usage KPI tracking and insights to help minimize wear and tear on machinery to improve durability by alerting stakeholders to potential issues. We can also track fuel levels and forecast fuel use, in order to identify inefficiencies or places where fuel theft might be taking place.
Outcomes
The embassy was able to have complete visibility over their remote sites and energy assets in real-time. This included live alerts to any malfunction or unexpected event, allowing support staff to focus only on problem areas and optimize inefficiencies where they occur. The warranty coverage of the remote energy assets was improved significantly with this live monitoring and management capabilities, and the overall lifetime of this machinery was lengthened.
The embassy can now also set performance and fuel level thresholds remotely for their entire network of facilities, and remotely control generators that are running unnecessarily or at risk of malfunction. Finally, they are able to track the energy KPIs of these assets historically and in real-time to ensure they are operating within expected levels.
Overall, due to the introduction of our solution, the embassy was able to save nearly 210,000 liters of fuel over a 4-month period. That is over $260,000 in cumulative fuel savings during that time and nearly $800,000 annually.
Challenges
- Large embassy in Uganda provides lodging off site for workers and dignitaries
- Relied on grid exclusively for power, with generators as backup
- Asset performance was impossible to track or check without being onsite
- Generators were running when they didn’t need to, wasting fuel
- Inefficiencies and misconfigurations could not be remedied
- Fuel theft was a constant pain forcing more frequent refueling
- Managing each location was on a site-by-site basis, with no centralized management
Galooli’s Solution
- Hyper focused version of our solution for embassies, banks, and other municipal and commercial buildings
- Provides active monitoring, management, and control for grid and generators on remote sites
- Provide energy KPI tracking and insights to maximize warranty and durability, and minimize fuel waste
- Identify inefficiencies through examining historical and live metadata
- Detect fuel theft and performance issues by establishing thresholds for live alert
Outcome
- Embassy has complete visibility over its network of facilities and energy use
- Live alerts were implemented for any malfunction or event
- Warranty coverage and durability of generators improved
- Embassy set performance thresholds for their assets to ensure their assets perform accordingly
- The embassy saved nearly 210,000 liters of fuel in 4 months
- In terms of costs, that is over $260,000 in cumulative savings and nearly $800,000 expected annually
About Galooli
Galooli is a pioneer in the green energy revolution.
The company is blazing a trail in energy management as a service with actionable insights into your operations.
Galooli’s remote monitoring solutions optimize energy usage, reduce operating expenditures and maximize alternative energy use.
Galooli provides a green and future-focused solution for multiple industries and use cases around the world, from metropolitan centers to the most remote installations.
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