The command centre for energy generation, consumption and storage.
Client Profile
Mondo are focused on engineering a sustainable future, working with customers to design, build and optimise energy solutions to save cost and meet renewable and energy reliability needs well into the future.
From connecting Australia’s largest wind farms to the grid to helping maintain water and gas networks or assisting regional communities to achieve their energy goals, Mondo improves the way things flow today, then seek ways to do this even better tomorrow.
Industry
Utilities
Location
Australia
Involvement
Project management, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, firmware engineering, design for excellence (DFx), prototyping, new product introduction (NPI), electronics manufacturing, testing, service and repair.
The Brief
Developed by Mondo, the Ubi processor comprises critical smart grid technology to connect energy generating plants such as solar arrays to the grid, and to monitor and control all aspects of generation, export, import and use, even acting as a smart energy manager, controlling circuits in premises.
Ubi 2.0 had been designed internally by Mondo as a proof of concept development. Mondo marketing saw huge interest in the total product concept and now needed to take the product through a productization program with the right industry partner in order to enhance the product to 3.0 for their community.Â
Ubi 3.0 was to perform smart energy monitoring and management functions by delivering accurate and real-time data (eg usage, generation & storage information) to the Mondo platform.
Extel was engaged to deliver a complete end-to-end solution including engineering design, product development and electronic manufacturing services.Â
The Product
The Project
Product goals
- To develop a fully integrated product capable of delivering:
- Revenue-grade metering accuracy
- Load-control of electrical appliances
- Local management interface for solar generation and battery storage
- 4G wireless communication
- Retain control of application and flexibility in product software features (NGC & AA)
- Scalability for mass manufacturing and deployment (in order of tens of thousand units)
- Small form-factor (close to existing product design)
- Efficient power consumption
- Lower, competitive total product unit cost (material and production)
- Higher product performance (reliability and consistency)
- Manufacturing within cost targets for scalable production
Product goals
- Perform energy metering
- Perform appliance load control (eg remote turn on/off of water heaters and pumps)
- Monitor solar and battery system status and control energy generation and storage
Additional services
- Provide an adaptable platform technology to maintain a product roadmap for future upgrades to Ubi
Project challenges
- The need to minimize the mechanical design complexity in the termination block to improve installation and performance.
- Provide an Ubi 3.0 enclosure mask with a clamp-on method (ease of opening/closing) to improve serviceability by a technician
- Enable product modularization whenever possible so that unit cost is positioned competitively for the cost-sensitive residential customer while having the scalability to support industrial and commercial customers through the integration of multiple Ubi 3.0 installations
- Assess the scope of meeting the pattern-approval standards (ie developing revenue-grade metering functions) by identifying the hardware requirements from NMI standard
Addressing the challenges
- Clear and agreed on requirements with the client
- Dedicated program manager assigned to the project, weekly meetings with published minutes
- Stage-gate process with agreed milestone phases
- Risk register and requirements matrix reviewed on a regular basis including client representatives
- Weekly risks and issues log review and action
- Regular technical meetings
- As product development is often a journey there was also an agreement on the management of change requests and project diversions
- Compliance to ISO 9001 development structure
- Joint project team formation published with Executive Sponsor nominated in both the client and Extel’s organization for escalation purposes
The Outcome
Whether a customer has solar, battery or they just draw their energy from a grid, the Ubi Energy Management Platform will help monitor and manage their energy.Â
Ubi monitors electricity use, including solar system and battery, and sends fast, accurate information to computers, smartphones or tablets so a customer can watch their energy flow in practical real-time.Â
Simple charts, comparisons and notifications help the user understand usage so that they can maximise the use of renewable energy to reduce energy costs, and track their impact on the environment.
Business advantages
The development of Ubi 3.0 provided Mondo with a very wide range of advantages.
Technical advantages
- Provides a next-generation product whilst maintaining the existing look and feel of existing technology
- Addresses the needs/gap in the market via stakeholder involvement when outlining the requirements and features
- Scalable manufacturing to meet forecasted demand
- Allows a role out of a product that has the following attributes:
- Revenue-grade metering accuracy
- Load-control of electrical appliances
- The local management interface for solar generation and battery storage
- 4G wireless communication
- Manufacturing within cost targets for scalable production
Operational advantages
- Development close to the market
- Manufacturing close to end market
- Unit IP rated for external installation
- Ease of installation minimized due to the fully integrated design considerations
- Faster and more cost-effective installation
- Software upgradeable over the air
Strategic/competitive advantages
- Mondo branded product
- Met considerations of the brand and corporate image
- Ease of installation
- Scalable product platform
- Links with customer devices for remote monitoring and performance
Technologies
MBIOT
4G wireless connectivity
Partners
Altium
Solidworks
High voltage testing
EMC Test labs
NMI Lab approval
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