Netherlands-based SHV Energy is to deploy smart meters and telemetry on its gas tanks in Europe and the US. The move is geared to improve asset management, supply-chain security, and truck routing, to reduce fuel costs and carbon emissions. The solution will use LTE-M and NB-IoT based airtime from France-based Orange, via its own operations in certain markets and roaming agreements elsewhere.
SHV Energy supplies off-grid energy such as LPG and LNG gas under brands Calor Gas, Gaspol, Liquigas, Pinnacle, Primagas, and Primagaz. It is also active in the area of biofuels and renewable energy solutions. It will fit smart telemetry devices to both legacy and new gas tanks, along with an antennae and a magnet mechanism that measures the gas.
The devices transfer data to SHV Energy’s offices via Orange’s cellular IoT networks, whether its own or its roaming partners’. Data is collected and analysed to ensure tanks are never empty, and SHV Energy is alerted if a tank registers any malfunction or leak. The data is also used to optimise gas delivery routes to reduce the company’s carbon footprint. Orange is offering service and implementation management into the bargain as well.
Marieke Schoningh, management board member at SHV Energy, said: “The move toward smart metering and the deployment of digital functionalities are critical in delivering the best possible service in supplying gas to our customer base. With this innovative IoT connectivity solution from Orange Business Services we can increase the flexibility, reliability and robustness of our network, and become greener in the process.”
Fabrice de Windt, senior vice president for Europe at Orange Business Services, said: “Connectivity is a key enabler of IoT. SHV Energy’s smart monitoring deployment is an excellent example of how a company can use our IoT connectivity solution to connect devices safely and reliably to transport data for actionable business insight and build a successful IoT-enabled business.”
