PowerNet the new software system from EnerSys is a breakthrough in effective battery fleet management of all lead acid battery technologies. By scheduling charging to avoid costly spikes in electricity demands and ensuring the correct rotation of batteries, PowerNet brings control and significant savings to battery fleet management. Management reports can be accessed remotely via a LAN or internet connection.
“This is what everyone working in motive power has been waiting for,” says John Lawton EnerSys European Marketing Director. “Scheduling power consumption to minimise peak charges while achieving optimum life and service from batteries is the goal of good battery management.”
PowerNet software runs on a standard PC and automatically switches chargers on and off at the best time to maintain electricity consumption within desired parameters. Spikes in electricity use can be very costly so different power thresholds, set for certain times of the day and night, take advantage of off-peak electricity rates and reduce consumption during peak rate.
PowerNet is compatible with up to 10 battery families and 500+ chargers. Communication between chargers and the PC is automatic. No data input is required. Each battery family and the types of truck are given names to enable their easy identification. This data is displayed on a battery room screen that shows the next battery to be used, available batteries and battery equalisation charging and defaults. Battery selection is simple; truck drivers just need to look at a screen to select the next battery for use. It is therefore no longer necessary to dedicate batteries to specific trucks. Because battery charging and rotation as well as equalisation charging are managed by PowerNet, battery performance and service life is improved.
Useful management reports are a standard element of the PowerNet software package and include:
• a charge analysis to view the number of complete/incomplete/ equalisation charges/charging errors,
• an alarm history to indicate when a wrong battery was selected,
• the minimum/maximum of charged batteries that are available and the number of battery changes,
• the fleet utilisation and the batteries’ depth of discharge.
• power consumption graphs and the record of automatic charger off/on events.
The PowerNet program can be accessed remotely via the user’s LAN or telephone infrastructure depending on the customer’s specific requirements. This means that managers are able to view ‘live data’ from any location whether it is an office on the same site, a different geographic location within the UK or elsewhere in the world. Multi-site battery fleet management is available with PowerNet at the click of a mouse.
“With the power efficiency and intelligence of the Hawker HF chargers and the overall fleet management capability of PowerNet, significant cost savings can be made and companies’ carbon footprints minimised,” says John Lawton.
EnerSys Motive Power
Karen Smith
Tel: 0161 727 3800
E: karen.smith@uk.enersys.com
Comments are closed.