How the electricity company in the Azores optimises data management
Reading time: 3 min
Axians has implemented a solution for Electricidade dos Açores that offers a complete approach to data analysis and regulatory reporting, automated and in real time. This enables the energy supplier to effectively monitor its activity, make more objective decisions and improve performance.
Electricidade dos Açores (EDA) is the electricity supplier, network operator and distributor for the islands of the Azores in Portugal. The company, which supplies electricity to 250,000 customers, is also committed to protecting the islands’ environmental and cultural heritage and to promoting the transition toward renewable energies in the region.
To comply with tighter regulation and provide the required analyses, EDA needed to significantly improve its data collection and analysis, along with its key performance indicator (KPI) monitoring. To meet these challenges, the firm had to invest in robust data management and analysis solutions, rationalise its processes, and foster a culture of decision-making based on data.
This was the context in which Axians, the VINCI Energies ICT brand and an EDA partner of ten years’ standing, was tasked with designing a complete data analytics solution.
“This real-time data collection offers advanced analytical capabilities”.
As João Monteiro Simões, project/client manager for this project at Axians Portugal, explains: “The objective was to provide a data analytics solution to monitor commercial and service KPIs, and also to ensure compliance with reporting obligations to the Portuguese regulatory authority.”
The Axians solution implemented a more effective reporting process based on the automated collection and correlation of data. He adds, “This near real-time data collection uses smart meters to collect data from power plants and grid sensors to provide advanced analytical capabilities to monitor and optimise business performance.”
Numerous issues to address
The solution was installed in 2018 and has since been continuously updated with new analytical capabilities. It includes five modules providing data modelling for: consumption; billing and debt; financial assets; production and distribution, equipment portfolio; and lastly, quality of service.
“There were a number of issues to address in implementing this solution,” says João Monteiro Simões. “These included the integration of data from different sources; managing change in processes, workflows and organisational culture; implementing appropriate security measures; the need to maintain the solution’s performance level without interrupting or slowing down existing systems; and establishing a long-term maintenance and support plan, which is crucial to the solution’s continuing success.”
With this system, offering a complete approach to data analysis and regulatory reporting, automated and in real time, EDA teams were able to focus on commercial analysis, growth and sustainability in their business, making informed decisions based on data.
03/14/2024
