How CHARGE POWER Technologies Saves Dozens of Hours, 1000’s of Pages on Every Project
Solutions:
- Standardized commissioning checklists for energy storage projects
- Expedited report building with standardized templates
- Real-time project updates with offline sync
Founded by Ravi Pinnelli, Charge Power specializes in the integration, commissioning, and execution of battery energy storage system (BESS) projects across Canada and the United States. Before implementing Bluerithm, Ravi’s team relied heavily on manual commissioning processes, including paper checklists and lengthy report generation.
It is uncommon in energy storage projects to have a standardized commissioning process. Each project handoff from construction to operations is different, and the integration process of various energy technologies is unique.
From project to project, Ravi and his team had to build processes from scratch, including commissioning plans, schedules, and reports. Meticulous work for a company so committed to quality assurance, further complicated by challenging project conditions. Some of these project locations are remote, with limited connectivity.
“By moving to a cloud-based commissioning software platform, Charge Power standardized procedures, improved data collection, and streamlined reporting. Beyond saving dozens hours and thousands of printed pages on every project, Bluerithm helped Ravi’s team deliver even more value to their customers.
OBJECTIVES
- Improve the quality and consistency of BESS commissioning processes
- Enhance communication with clients through real-time project updates
- Find a workable solution for remote locations with limited internet connectivity
- Reduce manual paperwork and data entry errors
- Minimize time spent on report generation
Ready for Digital, Cloud-Based Commissioning Processes
“ Charge Power has developed a reputation for excellence. This is driven by close attention to every detail. Before Ravi adopted Bluerithm, maintaining such a high level of quality and consistency required tremendous manual efforts.
“Our goal is to make sure clients have a solid quality asset that meets their operational goals across the entire lifecycle—sometimes ten or more years,” he says. “Because of the uniqueness of every project, we spent many hours writing up checklists and reports, typically in Microsoft Word or Excel. Come the next project, we’d have to start over from scratch.”
Because Charge Power runs so many BESS projects in various locations, some of them may have limited internet and device access, increasing the team’s reliance on lengthy, manually-intensive workflows. In the past, a typical workflow might unfold as follows:
- Print project commissioning plans and checklists
- Distribute print documentation to field team
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 if there is a change or an update to the commissioning plan
- Fill out print documentation in the field
- Scan completed documentation
- Update project Job Books with latest information
“By its very nature, such a manually-intensive process is prone to human error and delay, not to mention a heavy reliance on printed papers. “Not ideal,” says Ravi. “We’re talking about thousands of pages per project. And an inefficient feedback loop from the field to the office which could delay resolution from days to weeks to months. Ofter, the lack of real-time updates only added to time requirements.”
“Project Commissioning Reports were particularly arduous. “It took almost three weeks to scan, organize the completed documents from the field, another 2-3 weeks to prepare, and send out a draft report and another week or two to re-evaluate comments and issue the final report—almost a six- to eight-week process altogether.”
SOLUTION
Cloud-Based Commissioning System. Standardized, Repeatable Processes.
Standardizing Project Procedures
“ Despite the uniqueness of every project, Ravi’s team has developed standardized procedures that work for most of the projects. “With Bluerithm, I can standardize these processes into templates that can then be modified for each project, instead of just starting from scratch.”
This gives the engineers regularly using the platform one place to go to grab templates, tailor them to each project, and then make daily or weekly updates. For Charge Power clients, the result is a far more real-time experience, with the latest project information available on demand through the Bluerithm project dashboard.
From any internet-connected device, clients
and engineers alike can access real-time project progress updates, including
completion percentages for various tasks. Engineers can easily upload files and
images, or log issues, as well.
That goes for remote locations with limited internet and cell service, too. Whether in West Texas, or remote California, field engineers can complete checklists and capture data with greater peace of mind and far less effort: all data automatically syncs to Bluerithm upon reconnection.
Finally, Ravi’s team uses Bluerithm’s report builder to significantly reduce report generation time from weeks to minutes. What used to take hours of manual input and thousands of printed pages now requires neither.
RESULTS
Goodbye to Manual Processes and Print Requirements
- Saved many hours per project
thanks to standardized checklists, real-time project updates, and less scanning. - Eliminated 1000’s of pages of paper
on every project by ending reliance on paper checklists and other printed materials. - Generates reports in minutes instead of 6-8 weeks
with the help of Bluerithm’s built-in report builder tool. - Improved client experience
with standardized processes and real-time project updates through a centralized dashboard.
Moving forward, Ravi and his team have a standardized, cloud-based system in place that can accommodate all manner of clients and project types. Already, they’re exploring more Bluerithm features that will improve the overall efficiency and quality of their BESS project commissioning.
Overall, Charge Power has successfully digitized its manual commissioning processes with Bluerithm. They are well-positioned to further optimize their commissioning workflows and deliver the exceptional client service that they’re known for.
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