Every company recognizes the business risk it faces due to electronic invasions and goes to great lengths to shut off access via digital routes. Gaining access to manufacturing and operating sites is also strictly controlled. Companies need to know who is coming into the site, and in the case of vendors, who they work for and whether they need to be there. The goal is to make sure no one admitted jeopardizes security. But what about at remote locations, some of which may be temporary? At wellsites, the traditional security measure employs human intelligence – a gate guard. Their role is to check in visitors, record who they work for, note their presence, and brief them about standard security procedures. These are important steps, especially if an accident should occur, but just how secure is the access?

Electronic systems can now be deployed at these work sites, enabling documentation to a much deeper level for those individuals seeking admittance. Not only will security know exactly who visitors are, security can also know whether the visitors are competent to perform whatever tasks they are being asked to do.

The increased digitization of the petroleum industry enables companies to know much more about everyone who works for them in any capacity. This allows companies to not only control access to work sites but ensure that incompetent workers are excluded. The importance of security and competence cannot be underestimated, and with improved communications and digital systems, operational risks, even at highly remote locations, can be reduced. That should be a high priority for executives.

For this Company Spotlight, we interviewedTwenty20 Solutions CEO, Dan Vertachnik, and COO, Duncan Riley, about how the company is streamlining and automating on-site security and monitoring, especially in remote areas. Twenty20 Solutions is a global provider of automation and security technology, smart surveillance, and access control solutions for both on and off-grid environments. For more information on Twenty20 Solutions, please visit www.Twenty20solutions.com.

Background: Founded originally as PetroCloud in late 2014, the company’s initial offering digitally monitored and automated routine operations at oil and gas properties in an effort to reduce pumpers’ “windshield time”, enabling them to spend more of their time fixing problems rather than searching for them. In 2016 in response to its customers’ feedback, the company narrowed its focus to security monitoring and automation solutions for remote oil and gas operations as well as the utility, agriculture, construction, and critical infrastructure industries. In 2019, the company changed its name to Twenty20 Solutions to better reflect its capabilities and customer base.

Value Proposition: Before implementing Twenty20’s solution, its customers relied on on-site security personnel, manually-monitored surveillance systems, or many times leaving these remote operating sites.….READ MORE

For this Company Spotlight, we interviewed, we interviewed Wayne Prejean, CEO of Drilling Tools International (WellFence’s parent), about how the company is helping its customers better manage who can access their wellsites as well as automate related functions. WellFence provides patented data automation systems and credentialed wellsite access services for drilling, completion, and production locations. For more information on WellFence, please visit www.drillingtools.com or www.wellfence.com.

Background: Founded in 2014, WellFence sought to optimize the access control function of remote locations in the energy industry that largely depended on manual processes. WellFence has since deployed its patented check point towers with 360-degree cameras to hundreds of wellsites to automate the verification of personnel entering and exiting. In 2019, Drilling Tools International acquired WellFence to help scale the innovative technology to its customer base across numerous geographic regions.

Value Proposition: On most wellsites, personnel entering and leaving the location is tracked by pen and paper. This leads to some not signing in or signing out, sign in sheets getting lost or damaged, and….READ MORE

Hyzon Motors is a global supplier of hydrogen fuel-cell powered commercial vehicles, including heavy duty trucks and buses. The investment will support Hyzon’s manufacturing and engineering centers in Rochester (New York), Groningen (Netherlands) and Shanghai (China).

Related Press Release: Total Leads Strategic Investment into Hyzon Motors

Consistent with its communications to the market, Baker Hughes is committed to lead in the energy transition by providing decarbonization solutions for carbon-intensive industries, including oil and gas as well as broader industrial operations. Compact Carbon Capture AS (3C) was founded through a collaboration between Fjell Technology Group AS, Equinor ASA, Prototech AS and SINTEF.

Veregy offers energy efficiency solutions and smart building technologies through the deployment of mechanical, plumbing, lighting, solar, battery storage, geothermal, building automation and demand management measures to complete eco-friendly infrastructure upgrades.

Investment dollars continue to seek “cleaner” energy services. Encino specializes in emissions performance testing, leak detection and repair (LDAR), continuous emission monitoring systems (CEMs), and advanced environmental data and reporting software for the identification, measurement and minimization of emissions.

WattBuy empowers consumers to make smarter decisions about their electricity costs by allowing them to browse and select plans in their area. The company’s personalized recommendation engine helps residents living in states with electricity choice save hundreds of dollars each year on their electricity bills by choosing a more affordable, greener electricity provider.

Energy Technology Musings

Competency and Security Are Critically Important