In the current context, solar self-consumption is becoming an essential solution for industries seeking to optimize their energy consumption. Installing photovoltaic panels for self-consumption on industrial sites sends a strong signal in favor of renewable energies and energy autonomy. If the enthusiasm is there, two key questions arise:

• How to properly use this solar energy, which is by nature intermittent?
• How to ensure the profitability of solar installations, which represent a significant investment?

Purecontrol answers these two questions, in particular through the use of artificial intelligence. To maximize the benefits of self-consumption on an industrial site, it is crucial to properly manage energy consumption by adapting to solar production. Optimizing your system to make the most of photovoltaic self-consumption not only reduces energy bills, but also ensures profitability of photovoltaic installations.

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1 - Use adapted photovoltaic panels to maximize solar self-consumption

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Solar self-consumption offers valuable energy independence, especially in a context of volatile energy prices. Producing your own electricity not only ensures financial stability but also makes it easier to predict energy costs. To maximize the benefits of photovoltaic self-consumption, it is essential that solar panels for self-consumption are perfectly adapted to the specific characteristics of each site of establishment, whether it is a factory industrial, a wastewater treatment plant, or even another type of industrial site.

Each industrial site has particularities that influence solar production: the size of the space, the orientation, the inclination, the shade cast by the surrounding buildings or equipment. All of these factors influence solar production. A rigorous preliminary study is necessary to assess the solar potential and to choose suitable panels. Incorrectly selected photovoltaic panels can lead to a significant decrease in energy production, which directly impacts the profitability of self-consumption.

‍Another solution to optimize solar production is the installation of solar trackers, like those offered by Okwind. These systems allow the panels to follow the course of the sun throughout the day, increasing their exposure and performance. This type of equipment can increase energy production by up to 40% compared to fixed panels, thus increasing the profitability of solar self-consumption.

Solar is a strategic investment that can reduce energy costs in the long term while contributing to a greener approach. However, their performance depends heavily on sunshine, which can vary depending on the season and geographical location. In addition, the initial installation represents a significant cost, making the return on investment long to reach.

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2 - Monitor self-consumption to optimize profitability

One of the challenges of solar self-consumption is the variability of energy production. Self-consumption in the factory can sometimes produce more energy than is needed, or on the contrary, an energy shortage can occur at critical moments. Before considering an additional investment in solar panels or storage solutions, solutions such as monitoring energy production and consumption can provide better visibility and help manage these fluctuations effectively.

Monitoring solutions, combined with artificial intelligence tools such as Purecontrol, make it possible to analyze solar energy production taking into account weather forecast. Energy production by solar panels can be analyzed and recorded, to predict future electricity production.

Concretely, Purecontrol's AI algorithms analyze weather forecasts, in particular the rate of sunshine and rainfall, to allow the operator to know the solar production from one day to the next.

This approach makes it possible to optimize industrial processes by adjusting the operation of energy-intensive equipment and therefore the energy consumption according to periods of sunshine, thus maximizing self-consumption. Purecontrol's real-time control solution adjusts processes according to the expected periods of sunshine, and makes it possible to maximize solar self-consumption. Conversely, Purecontrol control will avoid activating certain mechanisms when the sun is less present, if business constraints and production objectives allow it.

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However, there is a major challenge: modifying industrial processes to adapt to intermittent solar production necessarily requires a very dynamic and adaptive regulation system, as well as taking into account the risks of disrupting service continuity. The classical regulation of automatons, which is too static, cannot meet this challenge. There are solutions for this: predictive and real-time management.

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3 - Automate control to maximize solar self-consumption

With optimized dynamic control, automated processes can significantly gain in self-consumption points, by adjusting to real solar production. The Purecontrol solution uses all the site's operating data to adapt processes. By combining this data with the prediction of solar energy production, the solution finds the best management strategies to maximize self-consumption. It then sends commands to the automatons to implement these strategies and adapts them in real time according to the evolution of the various parameters: production objectives, energy performance of installations, sunshine, etc. The solution delays the start-up of the equipment according to the electricity produced locally, while ensuring the continuity of service.

For example, a wastewater treatment plant in western France has equipped itself with Okwind solar trakers, and the Purecontrol solution. In line with the zero-carbon strategy of Rennes Métropole. Water treatment processes, and in particular aeration, the most consuming station in wastewater treatment plants, are adapted to solar production, while respecting environmental constraints in terms of the quality of water discharged into the natural environment. The Purecontrol AI algorithm predicts the energy production of solar panels, and plans the aeration phases based on these forecasts. By displacing certain consumptions, an additional 12% reduction in energy consumption has been achieved on the Laillé wastewater treatment plant thanks to the control of Purecontrol, coupled with Okwind solar trackers. This same configuration could be applied to other industrial actors, such as Interplume, specialized in the treatment of feathers and down. This type of intelligent control makes it possible to optimize solar self-consumption while guaranteeing maximum profitability of photovoltaic panels installed on the site.

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