Energie- und Wasserversorgung Hamm: Off to the cloud!

 

In search of a fully automated metering process as a cloud solution

Energie- und Wasserversorgung Hamm GmbH (EWV), a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Hamm GmbH, was looking for a modern, future-proof IT system that would meet current regulatory and legal requirements (DVGW G 685) and enable the company to significantly improve its business processes. The list of requirements included:

• a fully automated event-driven energy determination system
• flexible configuration of data aggregations, data comparison and generation of substitute values
• a monitoring system for a comprehensive supervision of the energy determination processes
• rule-based plausibility checks and anomaly detection
• fully integrated remote meter reading according to DSfG standard
• remote meter reading (ZFA) with a flexibly configurable automatic retrieval function
  

The decision was made in favour of the cloud solution cpX.Energy, which bundles all of the requirements in one solution.

The facts

The setup of the cpX.Energy client EWV Hamm included:

• Modern user authentication via OpenID Connect (OAuth 2.0)
• Establishing the technical communication links for metering data retrieval via radio network (GSM)
• Configuration of rules for plausibility checks and anomaly detection
• Setup of the web service interfaces, reporting and migration from an external system via data copy

The challenge

cpX.Energy was intended to be introduced quickly which meant that only a few weeks remained from the kickoff to the handover of the productive system. Another crucial point of the project was the transformation of the proceses and the migration data of EWV Hamm to the cpX.Energy data model, accompanied by the establishment of a cpX.Energy tenant.

A standard process exists for theses cases, however, the individual components were put together according to the individual specifications of the energy supplier. EWV Hamm opted for an integrated solution (Software-as-a-Service model) for remote meter reading as well as a meter data management with fully automated event-driven and rule-based processing in a 24/7 operating mode.

The solution

• As part of the onboarding project, the processes for remote meter reading (ZFA), meter data processing, and energy quantity determination for power-metered customers and plants (RLM) were removed from the on-premises system and transferred to the cloud solution cpX.Energy.
• Data is exchanged with the platform via standardised EDIFACT messages and corresponding platform web services (standard APIs).
• The use of the SaaS platform by EWV Hamm is billed monthly per metering point.
• Sopra Steria operates the cloud platform with high security standards regularly confirmed by ISO 27001 certifications of our Information Security Management System (ISMS).

No hardware, no software installation, no additional licenses:

Sopra Steria is the developer and operator of the cloud platform cpX.Energy, making it unnecessary for EWV Hamm to set up their own IT infrastructure, install software at great expense or procure licenses. Implementation can thus be planned more precisely and requires less time and budget.

On top, a scaling model for the SaaS fee based on the market role enables true pay-per-use. Both factors are especially attractive for locally operating distribution system operators such as EWV Hamm.

 

The cooperation

Experienced project teams were at work on both sides enabling the completion of the project in such a short time. Only a few weeks passed from the commissioning to the acceptance of the new system. During this time, EWV Hamm was connected to the cpX.Energy platform, the master data was migrated, necessary interfaces were configured, and employees were trained in the use of the solution.

Although the project was carried out 100 percent remotely, a close and professional cooperation succeeded. The teams were in constant communication via digital channels and were able to clarify issues quickly and conclusively despite the physical distance.

The result

By moving to the cpX.Energy cloud platform of Sopra Steria, EWV Hamm now operates a fully automated business process, from metering data procurement to quantity determination with automatic substitute value generation to the provision of data for balancing and billing.

The utility also benefits from event-driven MSCONS just-in-time exports and a best-view method to deliver the highest quality data and, in addition to individual monitoring, now works with customised reporting.

Solution with built-in H2 readiness: With the introduction of cpX.Energy, EWV Hamm is prepared for the transport and billing of hydrogen (H2). The new SGERG mod H2 procedures according to DVGW G 685 6 have already been implemented.