Advantage
More efficient and reliable operation of solar and battery storage systems and creation of new sources of revenue through smart services.
Data
Product and component information as well as operating data over the entire life cycle of the devices.
Method
Digital twin as an image of photovoltaic systems and starting point for complex data analyses.
Challenge
Solar energy is already replacing conventional energy generation in many areas. The ever-increasing digitalization and networking are driving this development forward. As key components in solar systems, inverters feed solar power into the grid and support stable and secure power grids. The inverters provide a large amount of valuable data that will be used even more in the future to optimize photovoltaic systems.
Goal
SMA, the world's leading specialist for photovoltaic system technology, wants to use the resulting data to further increase the efficiency and reliability of its systems. Through even more comprehensive data acquisition and the networking of inverters with other components, the realization of a “digital twin” of entire photovoltaic systems is to be achieved. This is intended to be the starting point for future-oriented data-based services relating to the generation of solar power.
Find out more about the background to the digital twin concept on our data analysis blog.
Solution
Achieving this goal requires the combination of expertise from the fields of solar technology and data science. As part of the BMWi-funded joint research project “Digital-Twin-Solar”, eoda is identifying and implementing data-based use cases.
The central element of a digital twin is the combination of different data sources:
- Product and component information
- Operating data over the entire life cycle of the devices
- Environmental data at the operating site (weather data, location data, connected devices)
The digital twin thus enables a wide range of possible applications for AI and machine learning, such as the predictive maintenance of photovoltaic systems. In close cooperation with industry experts, eoda identifies these use cases and assesses their attractiveness based on business value, data situation, analytical complexity and other framework conditions such as data protection. Subsequently, eoda takes over the implementation of the most promising use cases. Particular attention is paid here to the implementation of simulation variants.
In addition, eoda is developing an analytics platform that promotes the development of analytics use cases and combines algorithmic findings with expert knowledge from the energy sector. This connection can take place in two directions: Fault patterns identified by experts are monitored by an algorithm or anomalies identified by the algorithm are
Result
The “Digital Twin Solar” project combines sustainability with economic efficiency. Through the consistent use of data, solar and battery storage systems can be planned and operated more efficiently and reliably. As a result, they make an even greater contribution to a sustainable, secure and cost-effective energy supply. The way in which artificial intelligence is established as a core component of the energy sector is also sustainable, without displacing the previous success factor of human expertise.
In addition, smart services related to the energy transition are emerging, which increase the range of services offered by solar technology providers and open up new sources of revenue.
Get started now:
We look forward to exchanging ideas with you.
Your expert on Data-Science-Projects:
Manfred Menze
projects@eoda.de
Tel. +49 561 87948-370
