Here is a snapshot of some of the industries that rely on power generators:
In this article, we will review 3 different uses of generator power that many businesses rely on and how remotely monitoring their power generators can save valuable time, costs, assets and possibly even lives. Additionally, for a deep dive on how to reduce operating costs of power generators with remote management, we recommend you read our whitepaper
Power generators as primary power
In the use case of utilizing power generators as a primary power source, this is due to there being no utility-based power available. This scenario can typically be found in the Oil, Mining, Telecommunications, and Construction industries.
In the case of a remote oil or gas well, power is required continuously or may only shut down once the site has filled or transferred to a transfer tank. In these types of cases, the reliability and dependability of the generator are absolutely mandatory.
In the case of telecommunications (Telecom), there are remote areas where a telecommunication microwave or cellular tower have no access to the power grid. A local generator provides the primary power that is running 24/7. In some primary power cases the generator may only shut down when the telecom site sign is not in use (as this is the case of the Telecom company Azercell located in Azerbaijan - click here for the case study).
Critical backup power
For most of these applications, the generators are used as “back-up” power, meaning it is not the primary source of power. There are cases in which a generator on stand by power is critical. For example, in the case of a data center or a hospital. If those businesses loose primary power and the generator fail to start and provide backup power, the results are catastrophic.
Keeping the power on during an outage is a necessity not an option
Remote monitoring allows these businesses to test and check on their generators to ensure that they are ready to be used whenever. Without remote monitoring the tests most be done regularly in person that can be tedious or in some cases very difficult.
One example of this is a telecom provider that was at the top of the mountain in the El Yunque National Forest located in Puerto Rico. In this case, the generator site location was many hours away and may actually be inaccessible during rain or fog. Remote monitoring was critical to be able to remotely control the gensets and pull data from the generator controller.
Non-critical backup power
The remaining generator applications can be grouped into non-critical backup power. In this case there are no risks to human lives or significant costs associated with the loss of power, but it does cause a major inconvenience and does negatively impact a companies productivity.
An example would be - losing power at a light commercial facility such as a grocery store. Employee can not execute their jobs or the environment may become too cold or too hot to conduct business. Or if the power is out for too long, the concern for in store product such as produce and frozen foods becomes an issue. Ultimately there are costs associated with the power outage and that may well be avoided if the generator system is well maintained, tested and remotely monitored.
Improving generator reliability with remote monitoring
In most of these cases, it is very important that the generator starts and functions as intended. This is where remote monitoring or as some refer to it as “Remote Management” can help. The ability to remotely monitor the generator from your pc, tablet or your mobile phone can provide extremely valuable information regarding the health and operation of the genset. Review our list of questions to see if you are in need of a remote monitoring solution for your genset!
The ability to know the following is very important for the dependability of the generator
Knowing these valuable data points will help the service technician or maintenance personnel to determine if the generator needs maintenance or service, and if it is…what type of material or personnel need to go to the site for the repair.
As well as all the benefits of knowing what is happening or what has happened in the past with the generator, there is also the capability with a Remote Management solution such as the Ewon Netbiter and Argos solution to actually control the genset remotely.
This means that if the generator controller has encountered a fault that would prevent it from starting, the Netbiter Argos solution allows you to access the faults in the generator controller and clear any remaining fault. You also can remotely start the genset from your phone or PC to “exercise” the generator. The exercising is a requirement from most generator manufactures that “stand by” generator start and run periodically to ensure the system is functional.
If you have the need for remote monitoring and control of your genset or other remotely located assets, please contact HMS for a face to face introduction of this solution.
Schedule a live demo to learn more.