Client
GELSENWASSER AG
Scope
Implementation of Spacewell Energy’s software in Gelsenwasser’s main offices, with the possibility of rolling out a larger plan after the pilot.
Energy Management for Utilities
Utilities across the globe supply thousands of users with electricity, gas and water for their daily activities. At work, while traveling or at home, all of us benefit from the existing infrastructure that brings the supplies directly to us.
Thanks to years of innovation, development and deployment of networks, access to quick and reliable energy supplies is a general expectation by most of the population. If you work in the industry, you definitely know. However, there is a constant challenge: the expectation to ensure optimum function and effectiveness, introduce new technologies and keep up with regulations and trends.
In this article you will see the example of the German utility Gelsenwasser, who reduces energy consumption and emissions thanks to Spacewell Energy.
Reducing Energy Use: The case of German Utility Gelsenwasser
GELSENWASSER AG specializes in sustainable infrastructure and public supply infrastructure. They provide water and electricity to customers throughout Germany and have a strong focus on sustainability, mainly on environmental protection and resource conservation.
GELSENWASSER AG also offers a wide range of supply-related services, some via subsidiaries. With a workforce of 1,500 people, a large proportion is located at its headquarters in Gelsenkirchen, both for supply networks and/or plants and their own operations.
Gelsenwasser had been managing their energy consumption for years, gathering data and analyzing their consumptions. However, they needed a stronger tool to centralize those activities and help them be even more efficient. After testing their own solution they decided to search for a bespoke and stronger energy management solution in the market and chose Spacewell Energy.
This project was centered at Gelsenwasser’s main facilities to explore all the capabilities of Spacewell Energy, in line with their goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2035 and be more efficient in their use of energy. Once the project started, the value was so clear that it opened the door for their customers to benefit from the tool as well.
The Energy Challenge: Detailed Energy Analysis
GELSENWASSER AG had been using various providers of energy data management (EDM) software for its own buildings for around ten years, but the company wanted to refine and expand its digital energy management capacity.
The solutions available on the market were designed primarily for grid operators and industry and less for customers and public authorities. Consequently, Gelsenwasser started out with software that offered a wide range of functions for grid and metering point operators, but which had few functions for saving energy.
The company developed its own software to merge the diverse data from market communication for electricity and gas with the LoRaWAN metering data collected for water and heat. The idea was to create a comprehensive energy consumption management system, something which was not available on the market at the time. However, this software proved inadequate for the ambitious goal of gathering comprehensive data on consumption.
After completing the test, GELSENWASSER AG carried out further market research and chose Spacewell Energy as the energy management software solution that it needed.
Spacewell Energy’s AI Tools to Optimize Energy Consumption
The goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035 can only be achieved with a clear overview of your own consumption points and generation plants. The client found that Spacewell Energy offered all the options for recording and analyzing consumption data and CO2 emissions. Besides, any anomalies and deviations are quickly identified, through the software, meaning that measures can be taken immediately to sustainably optimize consumption.
The AI funcitionalities of Spacewell Enegry were key for Gelsenwasser:
- Benchmarking: Gelsenwasser has extensively used benchmarking and anomaly detection tools to ideitify which buildings in the portfolio have the greatest potential for savings and which technologies or energy-saving measures can be used for optimization. Gelsenwasser can understand which buildings are inefficient, how investment in resources can be optimized to save energy and how energy performance can be improved.
- Anomaly Detection allows them to detect any anomalous consumption and performance and calculates the energy impact and costs of each anomaly. The results are validated using both simulated and real consumption data. Extensive configuration options enable users to adjust the sensitivity of the models, to focus on significant anomalies and to customize the AI models.
Besides the AI stregths, the integration capabilities of Spacewell to connect with different consumption meters or data sources enabled Gelsenwasser to connect with its own systems to achieve the scalable, fully-automated collection of real-time data on electricity, water and gas consumption in its buildings in use. For example, the photovoltaic systems installed on the roofs of Gelsenwasser’s buildings are also connected to the system and can be read using grid reference data.
General consumption analyses were already possible before Spacewell Energy was implemented but they were never so simple and efficient. Using various customizable dashboards, the energy management team at Gelsenwasser AG can quickly gain an overview of the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of individual buildings or even individual data points. Any abnormal energy consumption is detected and automatically triggers an alert and informs the team. This helps Gelsenwasser AG to quickly identify potential savings and take efficient savings measures.
Thanks to its wide range of data collection and analysis functions, Spacewell Energy enables Gelsenwasser AG to gain a deeper and more detailed insight into all load profile data without having to invest an inordinate amount of time. By using the Energy software, the goals to become carbon neutral by 2035 and achieve a generally more sustainable energy management system within the company can be pursued more optimally.
Do you want to see how Spacewell Energy is the right solution for your organization? You can set up your online, tailored demo here and let’s start the conversation.
