The path to net zero runs through a mix of generation technologies, each with its own operating profile, data needs, and optimisation challenges.

 

Below is a guide to the main low-carbon renewable and low-carbon generation types Jen Insight works with, and what makes each one worth monitoring closely.

Wind

 

Wind turbines convert kinetic energy from moving air into electricity, with no fuel and no direct emissions during operation.

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• Onshore wind — the most established and cost-effective form of wind generation, typically deployed as single turbines or larger wind farms.

• Offshore wind — larger turbines benefiting from stronger, more consistent wind resource at sea, at a higher capital cost.

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Output is highly weather-dependent and turbines carry significant mechanical complexity. Real-time monitoring helps operators spot underperformance, plan maintenance around downtime windows, and forecast generation against grid commitments.

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Solar

 

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels convert sunlight directly into electricity. Solar is quick to deploy, scales from rooftop installations to utility-scale farms, and has become one of the cheapest sources of new generation.
Why data matters: Panel degradation, soiling, shading, and inverter faults can quietly erode output for months before they're noticed on a bill. Granular, asset-level reporting catches these losses early and verifies performance against forecast.

Biomass

 

Biomass plants generate electricity and heat by burning organic material — wood pellets, agricultural residues, or energy crops — that is considered low-carbon because the carbon released was recently absorbed by the growing plant matter.

Biomass involves continuous fuel supply chains and combustion processes with more moving parts than wind or solar. Tracking fuel consumption, efficiency, and emissions data is central to both operational performance and compliance reporting.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD)
 

Anaerobic digestion breaks down organic waste — food waste, agricultural slurry, energy crops — in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas that can generate electricity and heat, or be upgraded to biomethane for injection into the gas grid.

AD plants are biological processes as much as mechanical ones. Digester performance is sensitive to feedstock mix and conditions, so consistent monitoring is essential to keep gas yields and revenue, stable.

 

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)

 

CHP (also known as cogeneration) captures and uses the heat that's normally wasted in electricity generation, extracting useful energy from a single fuel source for both power and heating needs. CHP can run on natural gas, biomass, or biogas, and delivers major efficiency gains over generating heat and power separately.
Why data matters: With two outputs to optimise — electrical and thermal — and efficiency as the whole point of the technology, close monitoring is what turns a CHP asset's theoretical advantage into a measurable one.

 

Hydropower
 

Hydropower generates electricity from the movement of water, typically through river run-of-river schemes or reservoir-based systems. It's one of the most established and reliable forms of renewable generation, offering more predictable output than wind or solar.

 

Output tracks river flow and rainfall, and turbine and generator condition affects efficiency over the long asset lifetimes typical of hydro schemes making trend monitoring especially valuable.

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Where Jen can help

 

Most portfolios don't rely on a single technology but blend generation types to balance intermittency, diversify revenue, and manage risk. That mix makes unified, cross-asset reporting more valuable, it's the only way to see true portfolio-level performance rather than a set of disconnected readings.

Jen Insight's platform integrates with your meters, plant management systems, and building management systems, to bring real-time, daily, weekly and monthly reporting together, whatever the mix of technologies in your portfolio. You can benchmark performance, catch underperformance early, and make data-driven decisions across your whole estate.

 

Get in touch to see how we can help you get more from your assets.