IoT And AI Enabled Auxiliary Energy Optimization: 15% Auxiliary Power Reduction, 8% Net Generation Improvement (Leading Power Utility)

@Faclon Team

October 18, 2025

2min read

About the Company

A leading power utility with a legacy spanning over a century, operating across diverse energy sectors including thermal, hydro, solar, and wind power generation. With a market cap of $16.51 billion as of 2024, the organization employs 22,372 people across all business verticals. The company operates a legacy thermal generation facility with 1.8 GW capacity and supplies power to millions of consumers through an extensive transmission and distribution network while supporting sustainable development through smart energy solutions.

Problem Statement

Critical surveillance and safety challenges in hazardous chemical operations

Manual data collection inefficiencies Personnel collecting readings from feeders using pen and paper methods, creating bottlenecks in achieving operational excellence
Lack of real-time monitoring Existing methods fell short in identifying power plant efficiency metrics due to large number of auxiliary energy-consuming assets
Proactive analysis gaps No capability for real-time inferences to improve auxiliary efficiency and prevent consumption increases
Digitization barriers Major shifts from manual methodologies of data collection and report collation acting as operational bottlenecks

How Faclon Solved the Problem

I/O Vision: No-code computer vision platform for comprehensive AI-enabled surveillance:

Data Acquisition

Automated data collection from on-field meters of major auxiliary assets with highest electricity consumption, integrated with existing OSI PI systems

Live Power Plant Dashboards

Real-time statistics on power plant generation, net generation, auxiliary power percentage, and plant load factor with time-based inference dashboards

Asset Health Insights

Advanced event-based alerting and ticketing system providing threshold-based alerts for excess consumption, idle times, and power factor drops

Intelligent Reporting

Reporting schedulers ensuring generation of detailed daily, weekly, and monthly reports for various stakeholders

IT-OT Integration

Integration of data from existing DCS and energy meters enabling plant teams to monitor key KPIs while eliminating manual work

Hardware Implementation

ST-54 IoT Gateways with Ethernet-based connectivity collecting data from 17+ auxiliary systems via Modbus RS-485 protocols

The Outcome

Transformational results across key performance indicators:

Auxiliary power optimization

15% reduction in auxiliary power consumption through real-time monitoring of critical systems

Net generation improvement

8% increase in net generation yield from optimized auxiliary consumption management

Operational automation

Complete elimination of manual data collection with automated readings from energy meters across all auxiliary assets

Real-time control capabilities

Plant teams now have continuous KPI monitoring with instant alerts on machine idling and power quality issues

Performance benchmarking

Real-time benchmarking of auxiliary assets using generation and PLF as benchmark for ideal performance identification

Comprehensive asset monitoring

Coverage of 17+ auxiliary systems including cooling water, compressed air, coal handling, ash handling, and electrostatic precipitators

Behind the Scenes

Technical implementation and strategic considerations for this deployment

Multi-protocol architecture design

ST-54 Gateways configured at critical junctions interfacing with energy meters and Industrial PC gateways for DCS outputs using OPC UA connectivity

Cloud infrastructure deployment

I/O Sense Digitization Suite deployed on scalable cloud or on-premises infrastructure optimized for mobile and desktop accessibility with security considerations

Comprehensive parameter collection

Monitoring of 12+ electrical parameters including energy, voltage, current, forward active/apparent energy, power factor, reactive power, frequency, and THD values

Advanced analytics implementation

Deviation analysis algorithms optimizing auxiliary power consumption based on historical performance with asset idleness tracking and energy wastage identification

Enterprise reporting automation

Automated daily APC performance reports with historical benchmarking, integrated Process KPIs, and generation performance analytics

Systematic validation methodology

Thorough testing protocols validating data flow from meters and DCS to gateways, ensuring real-time dashboard accuracy and system integration reliability

TESTIMONIAL

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