We are engineers. We solve the problem as economically and efficiently as possible. Faced with a problem at a large golf course in Hawaii, we realised they had an inbuilt storage solution. So we used that rather than trying to sell a BESS.
ModBESS has deployed a proprietary web-based model – H2Optimizer* – that optimizes the operation of water pumping systems used with solar, wind, and batteries as well as storage ponds and water towers. It can operate in both advisory mode and direct control of all the system components.
H2Optimizer* is a comprehensive and fully customisable solar+storage irrigation and private or municipal water supply management system that optimizes the use of intermittent solar and wind resources to maximize the benefit and utilization of renewables at a customer site. Features of the software include:
- Determination of water needs, and scheduling of water pumping in a multi-pump system to minimize the cost of pumping through evaluation of solar and wind availability and the status of the various storage resources.
- Meeting auxiliary objectives such as maintaining a desired level of water quality in cases where multiple water sources or pumps are used.
- Taking into consideration real time prices of electricity and of other sources of renewable generation.
- Respecting and managing local utility requirements pertaining to usage of power, voltage and even frequency regulation needs.
- Ability to optimally manage the charging and discharging of battery systems and their integration with other storage devices such as water ponds and thermal storage.
- A real time and historical overview of solar and wind production, water consumption, state of charge of batteries, levels of storage tanks and ponds, status of pumps, local weather forecasts and more. It does so by tapping into multiple sites that contain information from SCADA or other monitoring systems.
- Coordination and joint optimization with hydro generators and pumps.
- Interfacing with a SCADA system to provide guidance as to when to start and stop every pump, when to move water among ponds, when to best irrigate and more.
- Summaries and projections about costs of operation and savings attributable to the model provided in automatically generated reports. H2Optimizer runs a comparative analysis of the savings attained on a daily basis by a dynamic scheduling of all resources as opposed to a simple system that operates only on a schedule and on water levels or water requirements.
H2Optimizer is highly customizable and can be operated in one of two modes: advisory mode (where the software gives the operator instructions on how to operate the system optimally) and automatic mode (where H2Optimizer performs some or all of the tasks necessary without operator intervention, such as starting and stopping of pumps). In this latter mode, H2Optimizer keeps the operator informed of status and actions performed at all times. Operators are free to override or disable the operation of H2Optimizer at any time.
H2Optimizer has a sophisticated graphical user interface, so any new requirements or equipment can be added for full user customization.
A cousin of H2Optimizer is H2Organizer*, a package under development that allows users to select options for expansion of an existing system. H2Organizer will assist users with issues such as selection of utility rate plans, sizing of a solar field, incorporation of thermal or hydro storage by comparing costs and obtaining estimates of the value attainable by customers. Unlike other simpler design packages that concentrate only on sizing of solar arrays and sometimes batteries, H2Organizer goes a step further and looks at the demand side and the needs of the user.
The primary clients for these products are private clubs and large resorts that have large flexible needs for water, water heating, water pumping, EV charging, air conditioning and more in locations where there is a requirement or a desire for greater renewable services and/or there is need to reduce costs without loss of service quality.
