M2M Connectivity rolls out IoT service for solar industry

Industrial IoT company M2M Connectivity has launched an IoT service for the solar industry in Australia and New Zealand.

The service is designed to support residential and commercial solar uptake and help retailers and installers meet evolving connectivity regulations.

The service, known as M2M SolarConnect, combines data plans with hardware, allowing retailers to monitor energy production remotely.

It is designed to assist retailers and installers meet compliance aligned to strict state-based Dynamic Export Limit (DEL) and CSIP-AUS regulations – set by Distributed Network Service Providers (DNSPs) – which require energy use to be remotely monitored and controlled via LTE networks.

M2M SolarConnect brings together pre-configured industrial routers from Semtech, Sierra Wireless and Skylink with IoT SIMs (supplied by M2M One) to create solar connectivity kits for fast DNSP approvals.

This includes kits for residential rooftop installations, commercial sites and large-scale utilities up to 50 Megawatts.

To meet state-based regulations, the kits are configured with XML and DNSP templates for Victoria, South Australia and Queensland. A key feature includes cellular failover to ensure systems remain connected in the event of network outages.

M2M Connectivity sales manager Peter Austin said the solar sector in Australia is witnessing a technical revolution as demand for systems and batteries soars.

"The only catch is that as our solar footprint increases so too does energy supply into the Grid," he said.

"This has sparked new regulations which require more robust connectivity to monitor and control solar energy flows, which can’t be met by the traditional Wi-Fi connections used in thousands of homes and commercial premises today.”

“As Australia’s leading provider of industrial grade IoT wireless devices and data plans, this is where M2M has an important role to play."

M2M SolarConnect is available in a choice of bundled packages, which combine airtime and hardware. Alternatively, customers can purchase airtime and hardware as separate products, depending on specific requirements.

M2M SolarConnect is the company’s second major announcement this year after launching a new satellite solution in June – combining satellite airtime and hardware – to keep remote and critical industries connected across ANZ.