Client industry
Construction
Challenge
No visibility into fuel usage, pilferage, generator operating hours, and unexpected downtime, leading to inefficient utilization, fuel losses, and reduced operational control.
Solution
A remote GPRS and RS485/Modbus-based generator monitoring platform engineered by MosChip, capturing real-time engine and electrical parameters, flagging load imbalance and low-fuel conditions, and delivering dashboard analytics, SMS/email alerts, and predictive maintenance insights via web and mobile.
Core technologies
RS485/Modbus, GPRS, AWS Cloud
A mid-sized construction company was using a 250-kW diesel generator as its only source of power at the project site. The generator was running almost around the clock to power tower cranes, project offices, worker accommodation, lighting, and other essential equipment.
With no utility power available, diesel was one of the highest operating costs. However, the client had limited visibility into how much fuel was being consumed, how the generator was being used, when or why unexpected downtime occurred, and whether the reported operating hours matched the generator’s actual runtime.
To address this, MosChip developed a remote generator monitoring solution that directly collected engine and electrical parameters from the generator’s control unit using RS485/Modbus. The data
was then sent through GPRS to the AWS cloud, where it was converted into live dashboards, historical trends, and automated SMS and email alerts.
This gave the client continuous visibility into fuel consumption, generator load, and runtime, along with a reliable record of generator operation.
The results were significant: fuel costs fell by 19%, reported operational hours dropped by 5%, and the client gained real-time visibility into generator performance for the first time.
The client wanted to mitigate the downtime issue and wanted to operational visibility. Since the site had no utility power supply, generators were used to meet the entire electrical demand, making fuel consumption a major contributor to the overall expenditure. Several factors were further increasing these costs, including:
MosChip developed a comprehensive diesel generator monitoring solution that remotely tracks fuel usage with highly accurate sensors and robust algorithms. The system reads engine and electrical parameters directly from the generator over RS485/Modbus and transmits them over GPRS to the AWS cloud, giving the client:
Download the complete case study to view the detailed architecture and implementation flow.
| Technology | Role in the solution |
|---|---|
| RS485 / Modbus | Industrial-standard protocol for direct engine and electrical telemetry from the generator |
| GPRS | Cellular uplink carrying readings from site to cloud |
| AWS Cloud | Scalable ingestion, storage, dashboards, and trend analytics |
Real-time tracking and alerts closed the loop on short fills and unauthorized draining.
Accurate, automated runtime logging replaced manual reporting, ending inflated hours.
Timely SMS and email alerts flag anomalies and low-fuel conditions before they cause a shutdown.
Mobile-friendly monitoring keeps the operations team connected to site performance 24/7.
Generator monitoring gives you a clear picture of how much fuel is actually being used, instead of relying only on manual tank readings or reported refuelling data. By continuously tracking fuel levels, generator load, runtime, and consumption patterns, the system can identify unusual fuel drops that may indicate pilferage or short filling. It can also compare the fuel reportedly added during refuelling with the actual increase recorded by the sensor. At the same time, load monitoring helps identify inefficient or unbalanced generator operation, helping teams reduce unnecessary fuel consumption and keep actual usage aligned with reported usage.
Yes. Generator monitoring systems can typically integrate with existing SCADA, ERP, and fleet or asset management platforms through APIs, MQTT, Modbus, or suitable middleware connectors. This allows important data such as fuel levels, load, runtime, and equipment status to flow into the systems your operations teams already use. For example, when the system detects a low-fuel condition or a potential fault, it can trigger an alert or even initiate a maintenance workflow without requiring someone to enter the information manually. This helps keep generator data connected with wider maintenance, inventory, and operational processes.
Yes. You don’t necessarily need to replace an older diesel generator to start monitoring it remotely. Many legacy generator controllers provide access to engine and electrical parameters through interfaces such as RS485 and Modbus RTU. A retrofit monitoring device can collect this information and send it through an edge gateway to a cloud or monitoring platform. Additional sensors can be installed for parameters such as fuel level or load if they aren’t already available from the generator controller. This makes remote monitoring practical even for generators that have been deployed for years.
Edge AI allows the generator to be monitored and analyzed closer to where the data is being generated. Instead of sending every raw reading to the cloud, the edge device can analyze engine, load, and fuel data locally and identify unusual patterns in near real time. For instance, it can recognize an abnormal fuel drop, load imbalance, or other operating pattern and quickly trigger an alert. This is particularly useful for remote sites where network connectivity may be unreliable. It can also reduce the amount of data sent to the cloud, helping control connectivity and processing costs while keeping critical operational intelligence available closer to the generator.
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