Cincoze DC-1200 Provides Data Monitoring and Gateway for Internet of Energy

Introduction

The warning signs of climate change caused by global warming are prompting governments around the world to consider how to reduce their carbon emissions and save energy as they decrease dependence on fossil fuels. Renewable green energy has emerged as one of the main solutions. According to estimates by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), by 2050, 90% of the world’s electricity will come from renewable green energy. Renewable energy is not centralized like traditional power plants, it comes from small local wind turbines, hydro, and even solar panels mounted on houses or factory roofs, so effective management of decentralized energy has become an important topic.

The Internet of Energy (IoE) is an emerging technology that helps manage and monitor decentralized energy. IoE connects renewable energy nodes and power grids through IoT technologies, collecting data on decentralized energy facilities, analyzing energy usage trends based on big data, and adjusting the distribution of electricity to optimize energy supply and reduce waste.

A well-known energy company in Europe chose the DC-1200 as their IoE gateway for monitoring the solar panel system and connecting to surrounding facilities because of its rugged design and capability to operate continuously over long periods. 

Customer Requirement

Compact Size
Embedded computers are housed in small enclosures next to the solar system, so they must be compact in size and include flexible mounting options such as DIN rail, wall mount, and side mount.

Rich Connection Options
In solar panel systems, energy companies use embedded computers to record and collect data from many connected peripherals and sensors, such as power switches, smart meters that record power output, and other sensors and thermometers that detect environmental conditions. In outdoor installations, 4G/LTE wireless network connectivity is indispensable for sending collected data to the cloud for processing and analysis in the control center, enabling active monitoring and predictive maintenance.

Wide Temperature Design
Solar power systems are not only outdoors, but they are often scattered in remote locations where they are largely unattended. To maintain reliable operation in unpredictable conditions, an embedded computer must offer wide temperature operation, robust design, and high stability to meet application requirements.

Why Cincoze?

Small Size, Easy to Install
The fanless DC-1200 has a compact design suitable for confined spaces. Measuring only 185 × 131 × 56.5 mm, it can be easily installed in a narrow cabinet, and is the recommended edge computer for data control and monitoring. Various mounting methods are supported, including VESA, DIN rail, and side mount.

Expandable I/O and Network Connectivity
The DC-1200 is powered by an efficient Intel® Pentium® N4200 processor, and supports up to 8 GB of DDR3L memory. It supports rich features and has a complete set of ports suited to industrial applications, including 2x GbE LAN, 2x RS-232/422/485 COM, 4x USB 3.2, 1x DVI-D, and 1x DisplayPort. For industrial IoT applications, the DC-1200 is equipped with 2x full-size Mini-PCIe slots to support WiFi and 4G/LTE wireless communication modules. The DC-1200 is also equipped with 2x SIM card slots, accessible on the front panel, for communication redundancy. Cincoze’s exclusive CMI/CFM module design also allows users to add I/O and functions according to their needs, such as additional GbE LAN, DIO, COM, and PoE.

Rugged Design
To ensure long-term stable operation in harsh environments, the DC-1200 has a cableless and fanless design, wide operating temperature (-40°C to 70°C), wide DC power input (9 V to 48 V), anti-vibration and anti-shock (5G/50G), with industrial grade overvoltage and overcurrent protection. The DC-1200 has also obtained CE, UKCA, ICES-003 Class A, E-mark, and other EMC-related certifications, and passed the IEC 62368-1 product safety test.