LoRaWAN Demand Management

Long Range Wide Area Networks can be used for a wide variety of applications. The low power requirements means that a small sensor can last many years on a single battery. This low maintenance requirement combined with the ability to send small packets of data long distances at low cost, has led to widespread adoption of the technology in the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT).

LoRaWAN systems have been deployed throughout the world and these networks can be privately owned or public. A single LoRaWAN gateway can cover a radius of up to 7-10 km and communicate with any sensor (or other LoRaWAN compatible device) deployed within this coverage area.

LoRaWAN systems and sensors have been deployed in both urban and rural environments to capture a wide variety of data points, such as: air quality, foot fall, building occupancy, energy usage, water usage, livestock movements, infrastructure vibrations and factory production monitoring.

A project with Knoydart Renewables and University of Strathclyde is underway to trial a LoRaWAN demand management and monitoring solution for a remote islanded minigrid. The aim is to develop a reliable communication medium and set of sensors that can integrate with the Energy Mutual asset management system for monitoring and control of minigrids or private networks.

This solution will provide asset managers and energy managers with a clearer understanding of their energy usage and the ability to optimise the consumption of energy according to the availability of renewable generation or low power prices. For more information on this project and solution, Contact Us.