Connected Energy Management
Energy management system integrated with operations, with real-time data and continuous optimisation capability. It connects generation, consumption and activity in one data layer to detect inefficiencies and support decisions with traceability.
Connected energy management: summary
Most industrial plants know their energy consumption through the monthly bill: one aggregated figure that arrives weeks late. Connected energy management replaces that with hourly data, for the whole installation and for each relevant line, area or machine. A monthly total is a result; an hourly curve is a behaviour, showing shift start-ups, peaks that drive demand charges and consumption during periods without production.
The distinctive part of Captia’s approach is combining the Energy and Connect units. Energy brings the domain knowledge: installations, self-consumption, efficiency. Connect brings the data layer, through sensor connectivity for meters, network analysers and plant equipment. Energy data is correlated with real activity, so a demand peak can be traced to the process that caused it and photovoltaic generation is seen next to the consumption it should cover.
Continuous measurement quickly reveals phantom consumption (equipment running outside shifts, compressors unloaded at night), deviations between equivalent lines, avoidable demand peaks and mismatches between generation and consumption. That real load curve then supports decisions on electricity contracting, on sizing an industrial solar installation and on energy efficiency measures, whose effect the system verifies afterwards.
A project starts by understanding the plant and defining a sensible monitoring scope, then connects the necessary measurement into a common data layer. From there the system runs continuously, as the piece that ties together the rest of the Captia Energy services. See also our guide on industrial energy optimisation.
How it connects to the system
The energy layer connects to plant data via Connect and to interpretation and automation via AI.
Key concepts
Other solutions
- Solar Installations
Design, installation and commissioning of industrial and residential photovoltaic systems. We cover the full cycle: preliminary study, sizing, assembly, legalisation and connection, with the installation ready to be monitored and integrated into operations.
- Industrial Solar
Photovoltaic installations for companies and industrial plants with self-consumption, surplus management and integrated monitoring. The installation connects with operational data to give traceability between generation, consumption and production.
- Residential Solar
Solar installations for single-family homes and residential communities with intelligent energy management. We handle the study, the installation and the paperwork, with monitoring of consumption and generation to understand and adjust how energy is used.
Frequently asked questions
- What is industrial energy monitoring?
- It means continuously measuring how much energy a plant uses and where it goes: the whole installation and, where relevant, each line, area or machine. Data is recorded at hourly resolution or finer and correlated with the operation’s real activity. Consumption stops being a monthly figure on the bill and becomes information you can actually work with.
- What do I need to install to monitor my plant?
- It depends on the starting point. Many plants already have meters, network analysers or drives that record consumption, and they only need to be connected to a common data layer. Where there is no measurement, equipment is installed on the panels or lines worth watching. That connectivity phase is handled by Captia’s Connect unit as part of the same project.
- What is phantom consumption and how is it detected?
- It is energy used without contributing anything to production: machines left on outside shifts, compressors running unloaded, climate control active in empty areas. On a monthly bill it stays hidden. With hourly data per line or area it shows up quickly, because consumption during periods without activity should be minimal and clearly is not.
- Does connected energy management replace a solar installation?
- No, they complement each other. Monitoring tells you how and when you consume; with that real curve a self-consumption installation can be sized properly and surplus management decided. If you already have photovoltaics, the connected layer brings generation and consumption into the same data, with traceability between what you produce, what you use and what you export.