Case Studies

Note: The organizations listed on this page have consented to having their case study listed as part of this page.

Table of Contents

Carmanah Solar Technologies, British Columbia, Canada

We were originally contacted by a sales rep from Carmanah asking about serial cables and other hardware needed to connect WattPlot to a modem.  As has often been the case with our customers, they contact us looking for solutions our competitors don't provide, and when we provide them, they switch to our products.  We provided dial-up modem capabilities and a greenMonitor Server for this mission-critical application.

Our technical skills aren't limited to one vendor's systems, or one way of accessing those systems.  Our founder has almost thirty years dialup communication experience, as well as countless years with Internetworking, including a number of United States Patents relating to network communications and security.

Communications Research Center, Ontario, Canada

When the Communications Research Center of Canada needed a solution to monitor five separate OutBack Power Systems using serial-to-IP converters, they turned to greenMonitor Site Edition.  The simple Host menu interface of the gmConsole command allows each system to be contacted directly, using only the IP address of the conversion device and its TCP port.  Our open data format and low cost made greenMonitor the natural choice over Canada's own WattPlot from Intallact located in Ontario.

These systems will be part of Canada's GreenStar Network, a testbed for creating a zero-carbon communications infrastructure based on renewable energy systems.  We look forward to seeing the results of their efforts and continued development in green data communication.

With plans for growth, CRC required a flexible product with attractive licensing.  We were able to deliver while our competitors couldn't.  We look forward to working with other partners in the GreenStar Network in the future.

H and K Energy Solutions, Anchorage, Alaska

Every so often, two businesses meet and the outcome is better than the sum of the two businesses.  Such is the case when we were contacted by H And K Energy Solutions, located in Anchorage Alaska.  They had experience with low power monitoring equipment, but no suitable monitoring software, and we had monitoring software and were looking for an even lower power hardware platform.

The result of this collaboration is the greenMonitor Lite™ 5 watt remote data logger.  With all the processing capabilities needed to run greenMonitor Basic Edition, the greenMonitor Lite remote data logger is an ideal solution for remote installations that require 24/7 monitoring at the lowest power possible.

greenHouse Computers, LLC is a technology company, and we bring all of our substantial technological skills to the table.  We don't just sell monitoring software, we design and manage systems, and we provide valuable technology to the Renewable Energy industry.  We hope the new greenMonitor Lite™ finds a place in customer systems and installer vans.

Heidra Ltd, Moretonhampstead, Devon, UK

After working with Carmanah on dialup modem support for a pilot program at the False River Municipal Airport, we further expanded our modem support to include anything that was capable of dialing the phone and connecting to the Mate display controller.  At least, we thought we had the proper support until we were contacted by Heidra Ltd.  Heidra is involved with micro-hydro power systems and needed a GSM modem connection to their very-remotely-located Mate display controllers.

Between the problems we had with longer telephone numbers and slow GSM modem connections, we worked very hard with the Heidra staff, and they with us, and managed to solve several real show-stoppers.  We continue to work with Heidra to solve the unique problems associated with GSM modems and hope to bring that support to our satellite internet connection customers.

Holtek Fireplace and Solar, Waco, Texas

Holtek Fireplace and Solar needed a monitoring solution for an 8KW solar installation which combined an SMA SunnyBoy SB6000U grid-tie inverter with an OutBack Power Systems GVFX 3648 grid-interactive inverter.  The solution was a greenMonitor Server with an RS-232 interface card on the SB6000U.  The ability of the greenMonitor Server to automatically connect to both the OutBack Power Systems and SMA inverters means the customer data can be accumulated with no involvement at all by the customer.  And because greenHouse Computers is able to access the SMA inverter directly, without the need for a costly Sunny WebBox, the total cost was significantly lower than if products from multiple vendors had been required.

Today this customer's system is being monitored with 24/7 remote monitoring provided by Digital Gnomon, providing added value to both the customer and Holtek Fireplace and Solar.

We've continued our business relationship with Holtek Fireplace and Solar and are working to develop monitoring systems for very large power plants based on the SMA inverter work we performed for the first client they brought us.  Unlike some of our competitors who sell software or monitoring, we work closely with installers to determine what their needs are and then deliver.

Mission Aviation Fellowship, Haiti

Developing nations are ideal locations for renewable energy solutions, as are groups performing disaster and humanitarian relief work in areas were electricity has been destroyed or become unreliable.  The founder of greenHouse Computers, LLC is actively involved with a number of humanitarian organizations as way to keep her electrical skills sharp.  She brings the same commitment to serving the community that she brings to improving the state of the art with Renewable Energy Systems.

Mission Aviation Fellowship is a qualified 501 (c) 3 charity involved in improving the lives of people in hard-to-reach places where electric power is scarce or unreliable.  We began working with MAF shortly before the Haiti earthquake to help improve the reliability of their OutBack Power Systems installation.

How can we afford to provide free software and consulting services to qualified humanitarian relief organizations?  Our experience has taught us that most relief agencies are grateful for any help they get, but often have little money to pay for services.  Because they aren't paying, we've also seen that they are less demanding of our time, and more willing to do more of the work themselves. Our only restriction, other than having available time to contribute, is that the organization must provide services to all of those in need, regardless of race, religion, national origin or gender.

Helping humanitarian organizations makes good business sense, too.  It proves how robust Renewable Energy Systems are to those who support the organization with their time and financial contributions, and that promotes the use of renewable energy "back home", and that creates more opportunities for our commercial business.

Solar Communities, Austin, Texas

Contacted by a potential customer looking to install upwards of 10KW DC, while still retaining battery backup capabilities,  Solar Communities turned to greenHouse Computers, LLC for help designing the system.  We performed a detailed analysis of the customer's electric power consumption and recommended several possible system sizes and configurations based on how the customer wanted to net their electric consumption.

The customer chose Solar Communities, even with a higher bid than the competition, based on the features of the greenMonitor Server.

Our goal is to enable our installer clients to compete more favorably in the market place.  Part of why we don't have pages filled with "testimonials" lifted from private e-mail communication is because we insure that our clients want to be known by our other clients before mentioning them by name.  In this case study, we provided our client with a significantly higher "value-add" than their competitor, and it made all the difference in selling this very large system.  The only time we disclose the identity of a client is when they've approved that disclosure, or when we have a conflict of interest that requires it.

Waldron Power and Light, Waldron, Washington

Waldron Power and Light was a WattPlot PRO user when we were first contacted about providing them with a monitoring solution.  Our initial solution was a greenMonitor Server to monitor several systems using serial-to-IP converters.  The proprietor is a highly skilled solar installer, but eventually realized that the demands of keeping a monitoring server up and running was more than they wanted to accept.  We transferred their serial-to-IP converter monitored sites over to Digital Gnomon and they are now being monitored 24/7 -- automatically.

Computers and computer networks can be difficult to keep running for professionals outside of the Information Technology industry.  The advantage of Digital Gnomon monitoring is highly robust monitoring software, web browser based system viewers with automatic nightly reporting -- and no need to mess with software updates.  The founder of greenHouse Computers has more than 30 years of experience in the Information Technology field, including Enterprise and Mainframe computing.  The greenMonitor Renewable Energy System monitoring software used by Digital Gnomon provides a robust platform for remote system monitoring.