Operating an energy storage unit with full autonomy
Context
In the energy storage sector, whether thermal storage, industrial batteries, or grid flexibility systems, operators deploy units in series, often across separate sites. Each unit must be automated: charge and discharge sequences, PID regulators, mode management (aFRR, spot, stand-by), interfaces with third-party systems such as an EMS or a boiler.
The complexity is real: a typical unit may involve around a hundred I/Os, a dozen sequences to program, several variable speed drives and thyristors, and bidirectional exchanges with equipment from different vendors.
Problem
Today, automating this type of installation requires bringing in a specialized integrator, waiting several months for development, and accepting proprietary code that no one in-house truly masters. For every new site, the work starts almost from scratch. When a setpoint needs to be changed or a sequence updated, the contractor has to be called back in.
What it costs
- Commissioning delays that slow down the deployment of each unit
- Opaque PLC code, only modifiable by the original contractor
- No reusability of work from one project to the next
- Costly maintenance dependent on scarce external expertise
- No native remote control: every modification requires an on-site intervention
The NOTOM approach
NOTOM Interact offers a radically different approach: a virtualized controller, programmed in no-code from a cloud interface, no specific automation expertise required.
Concretely, for an energy storage unit:
- Control objects (motor, valve, variable speed drive, electric resistance, thyristor...) are defined once in a reusable standard shared across projects
- Sequences (startup, normal shutdown, aFRR charge, spot charge, discharge, stand-by, re-pressurization...) are developed in no-code via a visual Grafcet interface
- PID regulators are configurable remotely, with preset management for each operating mode
- Exchanges with third-party systems (EMS, boiler, electricity metering) are handled natively via Modbus TCP or OPC-UA
- The program is versioned and deployable remotely, no need for a physical on-site intervention to update a setpoint or fix a sequence
- Data is automatically connected to NOTOM Connect for real-time monitoring and on-call alerting
What it changes
Who it's for
This use case is aimed at technical directors and industrial directors at energy storage operators who deploy multiple units in series and want to regain control over their automation, reducing dependency on integrators and accelerating each new deployment.
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