E.ON offers remote maintenance of photovoltaic systems

E.ON Energie Deutschland has set up a control console designed to professionally monitor and manage photovoltaic systems.

Its partner in this endeavor is meteocontrol GmbH of Augsburg, which is contributing its monitoring software VCOM virtual control room. E.ON’s customized monitoring solution is a key element of a new business strategy that also involves the production of renewable energies and energy networks.  

“We now look after more than 230 systems across Germany. Their total output could meet the power needs of a medium-sized city,” said Matthias Krieg, Head of PV Maintenance/Services at E.ON Energie Deutschland. “With the help of our central monitoring system, we can ensure reliable operation management for small units on company roofs as well as large solar parks. The key for us is being able to use proven technology made in Germany. The virtual control room software offered by meteocontrol makes it possible for us to monitor our continually expanding portfolio efficiently and centrally.”

VCOM virtual control room is used not only to analyze incoming alarm reports, but also for all incident management. Thanks to smart, precise fault detection, the cause of problems can be pinpointed quickly and the time required for possible on-site repairs can be kept to a minimum. “With this monitoring solution, E.ON can provide customers with secure, long-range support that has been optimized across all process steps,” said Martin Schneider, the Managing Director of meteocontrol. “We are looking forward to our partnership with E.ON, in part because it will also produce synergies for globally scalable models designed to optimize the returns of PV systems.” Customers of E.ON Energie Deutschland will be able to access their data on a personalized website. Among other features, the website offers an investor view with a transparent presentation of key performance indicators to highlight the benefits of professional support.