Generator and Standby Power Monitoring
A generator passing its monthly test does not mean it will start during an outage. In the four weeks in between, the battery weakens, fuel goes missing, and the panel switch gets left in manual.
Fleet
Every generator on one screen
For each machine the last test, fuel level, battery voltage and ready/fault state. A test result becomes a report automatically; when an outage comes, who picked up the load is recorded to the minute.
Each generator’s control panel is connected over Modbus; fuel level comes from the tank sensor, battery voltage from the charger. The test schedule is defined per site; a missed test turns its row red and e-mails the person responsible.
The status column combines three signals: the last test result, the fuel threshold and battery voltage. If any is outside its limit the row turns amber or red; the summary below the card answers “how many generators are actually ready” with a single number.
- Weekly or monthly test plan per generator
- Test report: duration, load, voltage and frequency curves
- Fault codes taken from the panel as they are
Generator Fleet
now| Generator | Rating kVA | Last test | Fuel % | Battery V |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN-1 Main building | 650 | 2 days ago · passed | 78 | 26.4 |
| GEN-2 Cold store | 400 | 9 days ago · passed | 41 | 25.9 |
| GEN-3 Server room | 120 | 31 days ago | 62 | 24.1 |
| GEN-4 Workshop | 250 | 5 days ago · passed | 88 | 26.6 |
| GEN-5 Pump station | 60 | 14 days ago · passed | 55 | 25.7 |
Readiness
Readiness matters more than the test itself
If the 29 days between monthly tests are not measured, the generator is only “probably ready” on those days. With battery, fuel, block heater and breaker position watched continuously, there is no surprise at the moment of an outage.
- The gap between tests is closed
- Automatic test report (PDF, e-mail)
- At an outage: pick-up time recorded
Monitoring continues through an outage: when the mains fail, pick-up time, load acceptance and return are recorded to the minute. At the next audit, “did the generator run” is answered by a time-stamped record, not a guess.
Readiness Gap
monthly tests · unmeasured daysSchematic: four tests, an outage arriving in the gap between them.
Fuel
Fuel: the quietest loss on site
Tank level is measured continuously; refills and consumption sit on the same timeline. A drop larger than the test duration explains is flagged as leakage or a refill discrepancy.
Tank capacity and full-load consumption are entered when the generator is defined; “hours at full load” is calculated from the two and a refill warning goes out when it drops below the threshold. Where there are several tanks, each is tracked separately and the total written alongside.
- Consumption and refills recorded in litres
- Comparison against expected burn (litres per kWh)
- Low-level and sudden-drop alarms
Consumption is modelled as litres per kWh; deviation from the expected drop for the test duration is written as a percentage. When a refill note is entered it is compared with the tank level; missing litres are reported as a refill discrepancy.
Fuel Tank
GEN-2 · cold store41%
Eleven hours at full load; a refill warning goes out below the threshold.
- last refill · 12 Aug
- test · 18 Aug
- 820L
- remaining
- 11h
- at full load
What we measure, and from where
Measurement plate
- Electrical
- V · A · Hz · kW
- Generator output and mains side
- Engine
- rpm · bar · °C
- Speed, oil pressure, coolant, oil temperature
- Battery
- V
- Battery voltage and charge alternator
- Fuel
- % · L
- Tank level · converted with the tank curve
- ATS and mode
- state
- Transfer position and controller mode
- Pre-heat
- kW · °C
- Block heater state and consumption
- Run period
- kWh · L
- Derived · outages and tests counted separately
Data is read from the controller: Deep Sea, ComAp or Datakom panels over RS485, carried to the platform by the site gateway. The manufacturer’s own cloud is not used, the data stays in your system.
Common questions
Our generator already has remote monitoring. What would change?
Controller vendors' cloud services watch the machine, not the site. The kWh the generator produced and the energy the site consumed, the cost of the outage and the electricity bill, the test schedule and the maintenance plan, none of those sit in the same place. We read the controller over RS485 and bring the data into your system, with no dependency on the vendor's cloud.
Is starting a test remotely safe?
A remote command is only possible when three conditions hold together: the panel switch is in REMOTE, the transfer interlock is engaged, and the command permission is configured. If any one is missing the button does nothing. Every command is written to the audit trail: who, when, which machine. If you would rather not have it at all, remote commands can be disabled entirely and the module simply monitors.
Who writes the test reports?
The system does. When a scheduled test completes, a PDF is produced with the measurement summary and filed automatically. Nothing is typed by hand, so "we forgot to write it up" cannot happen. On partner installations the report carries the partner's logo.
Are our UPS units covered as well?
Yes, in the same module. The outage story is one story: the UPS bridges the gap, the generator takes over. On the UPS side the figure that matters is battery age, measured against expected life, with a warning once it passes the threshold. If no replacement date has been entered, no verdict is given; a battery is never assumed to be new.
Is the data in your screenshots real?
The module's data model, configuration screens and monthly report are live, but controller integration is not yet complete, so this page carries no panel screenshots, only a schematic. In a real installation the figures come from your machines. We settle the installation timetable during the call.
Let us measure what is happening on your site.
In a one-hour call we look at your existing setup and set out exactly which measurement points are needed and what you would be able to see.