The system that optimises solar energy
Electricity prices keep rising, companies are trying to reduce their carbon footprint and electric driving is steadily becoming the norm. These are precisely the reasons why companies need adapted parking. Phoenix Contact, Arcsom and Enerdeal are building a system that efficiently harnesses solar energy for SMEs, large companies and retail chains.
Challenge
Enerdeal was looking for an effective solution to pump surplus energy from the solar panels into the cars in the car park. Arcsom and Phoenix Contact are therefore turning to load balancing: a smart technique that optimally regulates the energy from the solar panels to avoid any losses. Phoenix Contact's PLCnext registers all energy flows and through API links external data can be added, such as weather data and variable energy prices. This way, the Mint system calculates when energy is most advantageous. But how does this translate to a solution for Enerdeal?
Solution
The Mint energy management system consists of a solar generator, EV chargers and battery storage. The system is linked to the charging stations in the company's car park and knows which vehicles are prioritised. This information is adjusted every minute to use energy as efficiently as possible. The Mint system monitors the energy flow from the solar panels to the electric cars and then maps those transfers. The Kheiron Service Platform visualises these data in a dashboard developed by Arcsom. Through this visualisation, the customer gets a detailed view of the energy flows within the company. Everything is cloud-based and has an open structure in which Enerdeal, Phoenix Contact, Arcsom and the customer can all work freely.
“In Arcsom's Kheiron visualisation, the experience really is key. The customer gets a clear overview of the energy flows within his company"
— Andy Van Endert of Enerdeal.
“With Arcsom's expertise in industrial automation and IoT, Phoenix Contact's Mint system and Enerdeal's site as a testing ground, we are working on a truly ecological solution"
Kristof
Result
Thanks to Arcsom's open visualisation, customers gain insight into their own energy system while Phoenix Contact supplies the hardware and software components. "Our core business remains installing industrial solar farms. Through the software development of Arcsom and Phoenix Contact, we are able to differentiate ourselves on the market. This allows us to focus on what is really important: the energy of the future," says Andy Van Endert of Enerdeal.
