Improving the energy sector through optimal software and hardware solutions

Our client is a technology leader in creating sustainable, flexible, and secure energy systems. Their goal is to create global and local solutions that aim to be carbon neutral. This Japanese company provides new technologies, and new ways of thinking and working. The client combines advanced digital solutions and services with their energy platform, which is built on unique domain expertise and experience. They employ 40000 people and operate in more than 90 countries.

Challenge

Our client helps customers in the utility, industry, and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services in energy management. Their cutting-edge technology helps customers integrate huge volumes of renewable energy into the world’s grids. The main services are the management of energy networks and distribution of electricity, mostly in the fields of electrification of transportation, industry, and smart life sectors.

They want to create a new, unified platform because they have various software solutions and different hardware they were using. That required multiple teams to set up and maintain.

They needed our help because:

• they aim to upgrade, modernize and simplify their current software (and hardware) system
• they want to create one unified platform that will fulfil their future needs
• they want to do that fast, so they needed more competent software developers to join their forces and help out

Our client plans to be more independent and use the new platform for creating innovative solutions in the energy management sector in the future.

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Solution

The platform our client has been developing will be used for several purposes: for the production, storage, or distribution of electricity. The plan is to use standardized devices instead of many diverse types of specialized hardware.

Our team worked on embedded Linux systems which control the equipment and handle communication between various parts of the future systems. The devices can contain several types of services capable of communicating with each other. A service can be used to process the main workflow logic of the system, control various devices, communicate with other services and peripherals or maintain the complete system.

We have developed some of these services, one supporting the input-output peripherals. It receives signals from measuring devices and transmits commands to other services and control equipment. For example, it can transmit certain signals to the high voltage circuit switches and receive signals from measuring sensors. Those controls and signals can then be passed to the main control logic.

One example usage of these embedded systems is usage in power supply. The power supply is controlled by a switch on a main transmission line, and if it needs to be turned off, that can be done using a device that controls the switch and gives it a command to shut down. The service we developed allows this process to run.

Another service we worked on is a data storage service. It ensures precise recording and storing of the exact moments when, for example, the switch was used. The platform will already have additional supporting systems, such as a security service that ensures data encryption and prevents unauthorized access.

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Results/effects

As a result of this ongoing process, our client will have a platform which is:

• simpler and easier to use
• easier to upgrade
• cheaper to maintain

Project process

With this client, our model of cooperation was an in-house team extension. This means that we were working together with their in-house team.

During the kick-off meeting, our task was to get familiar with their system and way of working. We were provided with all the necessary documentation and were able to start working following their way of work based on Scrum methodology.

Still, we had a significant level of autonomy. For some parts of the project, we were independently designing the solution.

Because of our experience, seniority level, culture of continuous improvement and established process for integration with client’s team, the risk and project management, we were able to provide:

• faster time to market
• efficiency and efficacy

The project is ongoing, and it is planned to last for several years.

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