In 2024, we track and monitor almost everything, our steps, calories, how many times our doors open and close each day, and even our family and friends’ locations. When it comes to solar and energy storage assets operating in the field, assets that are costly to install and maintain, tracking and monitoring them to ensure optimal performance should be no different. In this blog, we explore how remote monitoring can verify dollar savings, enhance real-time tracking, quickly troubleshoot and schedule maintenance, and ensure maximum return on investment (ROI).
Without remote monitoring, system owners are often left in the dark between utility bill cycles, with potential issues going unnoticed for days and even weeks. This lack of visibility can lead to reduced energy production and missed opportunities for savings. Remote monitoring addresses this by providing continuous oversight of system performance, enabling immediate action when problems arise and ensuring your asset is protected.
Figure 1 View a Transparent Breakdown of Utility Bill Savings
Key Advantages of Solar + Energy Storage Monitoring:
- Track Your Electric Bill Savings: Remote monitoring systems are powerful tools for tracking utility bill savings in real-time, giving users detailed insights into how their energy storage and solar systems are performing relative to their utility costs. By continuously monitoring system performance, energy consumption, and the effectiveness of time-of-use strategies, these systems provide a clear view of how much users are saving on their utility bills. This is a significant advantage because it not only helps verify that systems are operating as expected, but it also allows users to optimize their energy usage, ensuring they maximize their potential savings. Our project modeling tool, ETB Developer, calculates a savings baseline for our users.
- Real-Time Performance Tracking: By continuously monitoring your systems, remote monitoring technology allows you to instantly track how much energy is being generated and consumed, while also identifying inefficiencies or malfunctions. With this data at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions to optimize energy usage and maximize savings.
- Immediate Alerts and Notifications: One of the most significant benefits of remote monitoring is the ability to receive immediate alerts if something goes wrong. Whether it’s a drop in energy production, a panel malfunction, or an inverter issue, remote monitoring systems provide diagnostic tools for troubleshooting and notify you the moment an abnormality is detected. This early warning system is crucial for minimizing downtime and preventing minor issues from becoming costly problems.
- Streamlined Maintenance Scheduling: By collecting and analyzing performance data over time, remote monitoring systems can predict when maintenance is needed. Understanding your system’s performance trends allows you to schedule maintenance more effectively, ensuring that your system continues to operate at peak efficiency without unnecessary interruptions. This proactive approach extends the lifespan of your system and maximizes your return on investment.
- Compare Actual vs Expected Solar Generation: Leveraging a remote monitoring system offers users the ability to compare actual solar generation with expected output. This feature provides users with a clear visualization of how their system is performing in real-time, allowing them to track electric bill savings and detect any discrepancies between expected and actual generation. ETB Developer uses detailed site data and hyper-specific satellite weather information to calculate expected generation, creating a baseline to measure against.
Figure 2 Visualize and Compare Actual Solar Generation to Expected Solar Generation
Why Choose ETB Monitor?
We recognize the critical role that monitoring plays in optimizing solar and energy storage system performance, which is why we developed ETB Monitor. This advanced monitoring technology provides comprehensive insights into your solar and energy storage systems, enabling you to maintain peak performance and maximize savings. ETB Monitor is designed to help solar and energy storage system owners optimize performance and savings by delivering real-time insights into system operations. With detailed views of key metrics such as electric bill savings, energy production, consumption, and storage, ETB Monitor empowers users to make informed decisions and ensure their systems are running as efficiently as possible.
One of the standout features of ETB Monitor is its ability to track financial savings generated by the system. The platform not only monitors energy performance but also provides insights into the financial impact of the system’s operations. Users can see how much money they are saving on their electricity bills and track the return on investment of their solar and storage systems. This financial transparency is crucial for system owners who want to understand the economic benefits of their investment and ensure they are getting the most value from their solar and storage systems. Our Utility Bill Details module is also a highlighted feature, providing a clear summary of your savings over each billing cycle.
ETB Monitor also offers users the ability to enroll their sites in demand response programs and either receive commands from program aggregators or manage dynamic, fleet-wide commands on their own. Asset managers can enroll their sites in existing special programs within the ETB Monitor platform or have custom programs created for them. Once a site is enrolled in a program, when a program event occurs, our ETB Controller will dispatch to participate in the program events based on the selected dispatch mode described below.
Figure 3 Enable Demand Response (DR) Program Participation and Coordinated Dispatch Between Sites with ETB Monitor’s ‘Special Programs’ Feature
ETB Monitor’s user-friendly interface is tailored for both technical and non-technical users, offering clear and actionable data without requiring extensive expertise. Features like automated alerts and reporting ensure that system performance issues are addressed promptly, helping to prevent minor problems from escalating into major disruptions.To learn more about how ETB Monitor can help, schedule a demo with our team today.
