SenerTec customers have electricity and heat insights always at hand
Category
Industry
Reading time
Plug & Play routers from A1 Digital send sensor data from the Dachs combined heat and power plants to the Dachs web portal for evaluation.
How A1 Digital approached the project
Preconfigured Plug&Play Routers
In order to be able to evaluate data from the combined heat and power plants, special plug & play routers, which are preconfigured by A1 Digital International GmbH and equipped with in-house M2M SIM cards, are connected to the CHPs with an internet cable.
Data collection and transmission to IoT Portal
The data collected by the sensors is then sent by the router via an API to SenerTec's own IoT portal, DachsWeb. There, the operator can view the energy values read out and enjoy the gain in comfort through remote setting of the heating functions. At the same time, every service partner can query the system status at any time via the DachsWeb, check the running behavior and make settings to improve operation.
Online maintenance & servicing
In addition, fault and maintenance messages are sent to the service via e-mail or SMS. If a fault occurs, the service technician knows which parts are defective and brings them with them right away. This saves the service technician time and the operator money.
24/7 insights on system operation
Overall, based on the values, SenerTec can draw conclusions about the operation of the system and assess whether the badger is working within the permissible range and thus prevent any damage. The SIM cards can also be activated and deactivated via the API of the online portal.
“We have already delivered >1000 badgers equipped with sensors and router. We appreciate the flexible customization options of the solution preconfigured by A1 Digital and the time saved by setting up the connection automatically. All A1 Digital employees are very competent, pleasant, available and responded to our requests immediately."
The Customer:
SenerTec Kraft-Wärme-Energiesysteme GmbH, founded in March 1996 in Schweinfurt, is the market leader in combined heat and power plants (CHP) with an electrical output of up to 20 kW for commercial and private buildings with over 37,000 Dachs systems sold. The advantage of a CHP like the Dachs is the joint generation of heat and electricity, in contrast to a conventional boiler. Today, the company, which sells its combined heat and power (CHP) system throughout Europe, employs around 125 people. The Dachs is constantly being further developed so that the company will remain an innovative heating and energy service provider and, above all, the market leader in the field of combined heat and power generation.
The Challenge:
The currently more than 37,000 commercial and privately used badgers run between 4,000 and 8,500 operating hours a year. In order to ensure that the CHPs function smoothly over the long term, every Dachs, like any other CHP, must be serviced at specified intervals. Because only when the badger runs continuously can it generate electricity and heat and thus generate income for the operator through the cheaply generated electricity.
The Solution:
More than 23 sensors are installed in each roof in order to record the necessary measured values for assessing the condition. The sensors collect data on pressure, temperature, fill level and speed. Additional sensors on the frequency converter provide further measured values such as voltage, current and frequency. Depending on the system, various other sensors are installed and connected to the CHP, which provide data on the heating circuits, the buffer, the flow sensor and the hot water. The sensors not only serve to assess the condition of the system, but also provide the operator with information about the electricity and heat generated by the Dachs in order to be able to quantify the return on investment.
In order to be able to evaluate data from the combined heat and power plants, special plug & play routers, which are preconfigured by A1 Digital International GmbH and equipped with in-house M2M SIM cards, are connected to the CHPs with an internet cable