Macbook Pro
HelioExpect
Overview
The Problem
Solar plant operators and managers struggle to efficiently monitor and forecast solar plant performance across multiple locations, leading to operational inefficiencies, untimely maintenance, and potential loss in generation capacity. A centralized system is needed to ensure real-time monitoring, predictive analytics, and actionable alerts to optimize performance and reduce downtime.
The Challenge
Data Complexity: Solar plants produce a large volume of data from various components such as inverters, panels, and weather monitoring systems. Managing and visualizing this data in a meaningful way is complex.
Real-time Monitoring: Ensuring real-time data feeds and live monitoring across multiple plants while avoiding delays or downtime.
Predictive Forecasting: Accurately forecasting energy generation, both short-term and long-term, using complex models that integrate weather and historical data.
Proactive Alerts: Providing meaningful and timely alerts to users, ensuring that issues are flagged before they escalate, and categorizing them based on severity.
User Experience: Ensuring the interface is intuitive for users, from plant operators to management, who may have varying levels of technical expertise.
Brief
The HelioExpect platform is designed to address the need for comprehensive solar plant monitoring and forecasting at both individual plant and portfolio levels. It provides a range of tools, including real-time monitoring, predictive forecasting, detailed reporting, and alert management to help users stay informed, take timely actions, and optimize solar plant operations.
Discover
During the discovery phase, user feedback and operational data were gathered to understand the most pressing needs of solar plant managers. Users required:
A centralized platform to monitor multiple plants.
Real-time, accurate data visualizations to track performance and detect issues.
Predictive tools to simulate different operational scenarios and help in maintenance planning.
Customizable reporting to meet the varied needs of stakeholders.
Alerts and alarms that can be configured based on the criticality of events and delivered through various channels.
Define
The HelioExpect platform was built to deliver:
Dashboard : A high-level overview of solar plant performance, showcasing key metrics such as current generation, total generation, efficiency, and performance trends over time.
Plant Monitoring : Detailed, real-time monitoring of individual plant components like inverters and panels, with both live and historical data access.
Forecasting Analytics : Predictive models for energy generation based on weather data and historical performance, offering both short-term and long-term forecasts.
Reporting : Tools to generate and schedule customized reports that cater to various user needs, with export options in multiple formats.
Alerts and Alarms : Configurable alerts with real-time notifications, ensuring users can address potential issues promptly, sorted by priority for more focused attention.
Settings : A flexible system allowing users to manage plants, user roles, and notification preferences.
User Journey
Wireframes
Design Style
Fonts
Inter Medium
Inter Semibold
Inter Regular
Colors
Buttons
Add Plant Configuration
System failure Alerts
Schedule Maintenance
Cancel
Save Change
Components
Graphs
Hi-Fidelity Design
Complex Data Presentation
Simplified Dashboards: Key metrics like current generation, total generation, and efficiency are prominently displayed at the top of the dashboard, providing users with a quick, high-level overview.
Interactive Visuals: Performance trends and plant data are represented through interactive graphs and charts, allowing users to easily filter and focus on relevant timeframes or specific plants.
Monitoring Multiple Plants in Real-Time
Real-Time Updates: The live monitoring system offers real-time data for individual plants, including power generation, temperature, and other key parameters, so operators can act swiftly in response to any anomalies.
Forecasting Analytics: The platform includes short-term and long-term forecasting tools based on weather data and historical performance, enabling users to plan ahead for maintenance or adjustments.
Customizable and Scheduled Reports: The platform provides tools to create fully customizable reports that meet the specific needs of different stakeholders. Additionally, automated scheduling ensures reports are generated and delivered at regular intervals, reducing manual effort.
Export Options: Reports can be exported in various formats such as PDF, Excel, and CSV, making it easy for users to analyze, share, or present data to different audiences.
Ensuring Timely Alerts and Notifications
Configurable Alerts: The platform allows users to set up customized thresholds for different types of alerts and alarms, ensuring that only relevant, high-priority issues are flagged.
Priority-Based Notifications: Alerts are categorized by priority, ensuring that critical issues are addressed promptly while less urgent notifications can be deferred. Users also have the option to receive real-time alerts via email, SMS, or in-app notifications.
Plant Configuration
Setup the multiple plant from the different Plant sites
