Industrial Energy Storage
Industrial IoT – VDL Energy Systems, part of VDL Groep
The Challenge
VDL Energy Systems develops advanced battery storage and hydrogen solutions for industrial applications. Their clients rely on reliable performance and efficient energy management to meet demanding operational needs. To support high availability and enable proactive maintenance, a secure and stable remote connectivity solution is essential. Given the critical nature of these systems, cybersecurity plays a key role. The solution must meet the highest security standards without compromising reliability or performance.
Connecting industrial sites
VDL’s energy systems are deployed at locations such as factories, logistics hubs, and construction sites, often as part of broader energy management setups. To support these, VDL provides a full EMS (Energy Management System) offering, including robust PLCs, BMS systems, and a local instance of OpenRemote. This setup supports local forecasting, optimisation, configuration, and dashboarding. When needed, site data is synchronised with the cloud-based VDL Powernet platform, offering remote insights and control for both clients and the VDL service team.
Optimisation on premise
To help manage grid stability, navigate capacity limits, and reduce overall energy costs, VDL runs responsive algorithms locally. These algorithms support peak shaving, outage response, and coordination with the grid. VDL Powernet, built on OpenRemote, adds forecasting for energy generation and usage. It can also connect to relevant energy and congestion markets to support further optimisation.
Monitoring and alarms
VDL Powernet includes multiple rule-based logic engines. Users can define their own KPIs and monitoring metrics using OpenRemote’s no-code flow rules. Alarm rules are also created through the user-friendly When-Then interface. These rules monitor anomalies or connectivity issues, and send alerts that are assigned to specific individuals for follow-up.
Remote system access
Industrial environments typically operate within private networks and must protect against unauthorized access. Still, controlled remote access offers clear benefits for operations and maintenance. VDL provides a secure tunneling solution via OpenRemote, enabling access to web interfaces of local systems—such as the BMS or PLCs—without compromising network security.
Industrial IoT
Seamlessly connect your machines to the cloud with OpenRemote. Our platform supports diverse protocols as well as running our edge gateway on site, making it easier to integrate both legacy systems and modern industrial equipment. Monitor and optimise machine data in real time on site, gain insights into operational performance remotely, manage devices, and 3rd party local systems such as PLCs or SCADA, across multiple locations through a single dashboard.
