Finnish utility company Fortum has just announced its foray into intelligent monitoring solutions launching its ‘Solar2Go’ pilot in India earlier this week. ISEP is proud to be its partner for the impact assessment studies that will evaluate the pilot and help Fortum in making its product more effective.

Last year, Fortum and high tech software agency Futurice announced a cooperation to create a solution that provides easier access to electricity for the millions in the emerging markets. Now with the pilot, the companies are taking the next step towards commercialization together with the well-established Indian solar energy company Boond.

The pilot project will test the Solar2Go intelligent metering solution which enables a rapid up-scaling of solar energy based micro-grids allowing higher remote monitoring control and cashless payment abilities. The Solar2Go Software-as-a-Service concept offers a solution for solar companies to secure the payment from end-customers reliably while providing better customer support and operational efficiencies. The pay-as-you-go model of the meters also bypasses the need for a steep capital investments making solar energy affordable and attainable for millions of households. ISEP will assess the benefits of the project by surveying 250 households in six villages before and after implementation.

This is a significant milestone for ISEP since it displays that corporate can significantly benefit from implementation oriented research to improve and optimize their project offerings.