Be Green Solar Builds Intuitive Solar Control Panels with PanelPilotACE

Founded in 2008, Be Green Solar specialises in renewable energy systems—including solar, wind, and micro-hydro—designed for use by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Their recent project in Haiti showcases how PanelPilotACE touchscreen displays can simplify solar energy management in even the most remote locations.

Restoring Power to Disaster-Affected Clinics

After Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti in late 2017, Be Green Solar was commissioned to improve the control systems at two rural medical clinics. Each clinic had its own 48kW solar power plant, but their browser-based interfaces were too complex for non-technical staff.

To make the systems more accessible, Be Green Solar turned to the PanelPilotACE SGD 43-A—a fully programmable touchscreen display well-suited for custom energy management solutions.

Simplified Solar Monitoring and Generator Control

Each clinic includes:

148 solar panels
10 DC-to-AC inverters
Battery bank
Backup generator

While Clinic 1 houses the system administrator, they also needed the ability to monitor and control Clinic 2’s system, located 880 metres away, using the existing wide-area network (WAN).

The PanelPilotACE display was programmed to show:

Battery voltage
Battery charger mode (e.g. absorb mode)
Generator running status
Alarm status and control

When the state of charge drops to 55% or lower, the PanelPilotACE display changes the green “Batteries OK” icon to a flashing red “Start Generator” alarm, prompting action from the user. An audible alarm is triggered via external circuitry, and the user can tap the icon to stop the alarm and remotely start the generator.

Peer-to-Peer Communication Between Clinics

Both clinics use custom control panel programs, developed with PanelPilotACE Design Studio software and tested using its simulation mode. At Clinic 2, an SGD 35-M PanelPilot meter was also added to monitor the generator battery voltage, alongside a manual generator start switch.

This peer-to-peer control setup ensures real-time monitoring and redundancy for both locations, even across a shared network.

Customer Feedback on PanelPilotACE

“The PanelPilotACE SGD 43-A display is an ideal device to create a customized display for virtually any project. For this Haitian project, we were able to provide a device that can be operated by simple touch screen icons, which requires little technical knowledge. Programming was a bit daunting at first, but became rather intuitive after one is familiar with the features available and how to access them. The software allowed all functions to be seen and operated in a simulation mode, which was extremely helpful when trying various functional combinations.”

“I found the PanelPilotACE Design Studio software very versatile and received invaluable tech support from Lascar when implementing some of the more challenging aspects of this project. I am pleased with the capability Lascar products provided and would use them again.”
– John Hassell, Be Green Solar

Why PanelPilotACE Was the Right Choice

Easy-to-use touchscreen interface for non-technical users
No-code drag-and-drop programming with built-in simulation
Reliable analogue and digital I/O for full energy system integration
Network-capable setup for multi-site control
Compact and rugged design for remote installations

With PanelPilotACE displays, Be Green Solar delivered a resilient, intuitive control system that enables local healthcare staff to manage their energy supply efficiently—empowering better care, even in disaster-affected regions.