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Solteq Plc, an IT software and service specialist in the Nordic energy sector, has implemented an extensive knowledge management project for its partner Kuopion Energia. The project supports the development of the Iloharju solar thermal power station and Savilahti district cooling system. Information about energy production, distribution, efficiency and operation will be stored in a data warehouse providing almost real-time reporting and a new type of information about the potential of solar thermal power and cold energy obtained from natural waters.
Kuopion Energia is a pioneer in not only the production of solar district heating and but also cold energy by utilitizing natural cold water resources. Both forms of energy represent fully emission-free energy production of the future. The Iloharju solar thermal power unit is one of Finland’s largest solar district heating systems, and the Savilahti district cooling plant taps into the cold water in the depths of Lake Kallavesi to obtain large volumes of it to cool local properties. The district cooling made possible by Lake Kallavesi improves energy efficiency considerably compared to cooling implemented separately for individual properties. As there is very little prior knowledge or experience of similar projects, the need for information is great:
“Solteq’s data warehouse and related analytics help us to develop and run the operations based on facts. Reporting is quick, in standard format, and the data is reliable. The project creates an almost real-time snapshot of the production volumes of solar heat and cold energy, and of operational monitoring. We have received plenty of positive feedback on our green projects, as many of our customers want to make value-based energy decisions,” says Kuopion Energia's District Heating Manager Reima Lassila.
The project is also unique to Solteq Oyj’s Utilities business. Solutions based on knowledge management have been developed jointly with Kuopion Energia for a number of years. The data warehouse based on the Microsoft Azure SQL Database solution brings together data from many sources. Reporting based on Microsoft Power BI makes use of information obtained from financial administration; automation systems within production; measurement data and customer service systems; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
“We are proud to announce that the data warehouse we have created, including our analytics and reporting solutions, are now part of the pioneering work done by Kuopion Energia to utilize renewable forms of energy. What makes the project particularly valuable is that the reporting data increases understanding within the entire industry about solar heat and cold energy obtained from natural waters, and the benefits of locally sourced energy,” says Jari Kokkonen, Director of Solteq’s Utilities Consulting.