Failing hardware, failing data
The solar farm had been operating for seven years with the original data loggers — equipment that had been fit for purpose at installation but was now struggling with the demands of continuous operation. Loggers were going offline intermittently, sometimes for hours at a time. The monitoring platform's gap-filling logic was masking the failures in reported data, but the underlying record was unreliable. For a PPA-contracted asset, gaps in generation data create contractual exposure: if you can't prove what was generated, you may not be able to invoice it.
The constraint: existing meters, no hardware budget
A full metering replacement would have been the cleanest solution, but the farm's meters were accurate revenue-grade equipment with years of service life remaining. The capital cost of replacing them was not justified. The requirement was to replace only the data collection and communications layer — the loggers — while preserving the existing meter connections, pulse outputs, and the historical data record. Conexie's hardware was compatible with the pulse-output wiring already in place, which meant no modifications to the metering circuits.
Historical data migration
Before removing the existing loggers, Conexie extracted the historical data records stored on each device — seven years of interval data that the farm operator needed to retain for performance reporting and contract compliance. This data was imported into the Conexie platform alongside the live feed from the new loggers, creating a continuous record with no visible seam at the upgrade date. The operator's generation history was preserved in full.
4G connectivity and real-time monitoring
The replacement loggers used 4G cellular connectivity rather than the original Ethernet-over-powerline approach that had been the source of many of the reliability issues. With dedicated SIM cards and redundant connection logic, the new hardware maintained connectivity even when on-site networking infrastructure had issues. The Conexie platform showed the first full month of gap-free data since the farm had been commissioned.
Operational impact
Since the upgrade, the farm operator has not experienced a single day of data loss. Real-time monitoring via the Conexie platform means that inverter underperformance is now detected and alerted within minutes rather than identified retrospectively when reviewing monthly reports. The operator has also used the platform's generation-versus-target tracking to substantiate PPA performance claims — something that was previously difficult due to the gaps and inconsistencies in the historical data record.