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Ovation SCADA solution for Wind Energy Management

An Emerson Process Management - Power + Water product story

Edited by the Processingtalk editorial team Dec 27, 2007

Drawing on power-focused control technologies and experience with large SCADA water / wastewater installations, the Emerson SCADA solution offers better management of wind farm assets

Emerson Process Management has introduced Ovation SCADA for wind energy management.

The Ovation SCADA system features state-of-the-art monitoring, control and diagnostic functionality that optimises wind farm operations.

The SCADA system for wind energy management is part of the Emerson portfolio of SCADA solutions for renewable energy, which also includes hydro power and solar power, among others.

The introduction of the Ovation SCADA Solution for wind energy management comes at an opportune time.

The World Wind Energy Association expects total installed capacity for wind energy to grow from roughly 74,000 MW in 2006 to 160,000 MW in 2010 - an increase of nearly 54 percent.

As energy companies expand power production by increasing the number of generators per farm or operating multiple wind farms, their need to efficiently and effectively manage those assets becomes progressively more important, according to Bob Yeager, president of the Power and Water Solutions division of Emerson.

"In addition to optimising operations at individual wind farms, the Ovation SCADA system can also be utilised to manage an entire fleet of wind farms," Yeager explained: "The ability to connect a number of active wind farms to their corporate headquarters or operations centers offers further opportunities for increased efficiency, cost savings and better overall management of assets".

The Ovation SCADA system supports wind turbine generators from all major OEMs, as well as multiple communication network types, such as dial-up, leased lines and wireless.

The Ovation SCADA system offers the capability to remotely start, stop, reset and tag out individual wind turbine generators, minimising labour-intensive site visits.

Protective supervisory shutdown is automatically conducted by the Ovation SCADA system when certain predefined site conditions are reached.

For example, vibration conditions can be monitored through meteorological data obtained from a met tower interface to the Ovation SCADA system.

When the vibrations exceed a safe operating limit, the Ovation SCADA system activates a shutdown of the turbine to avoid any equipment or area damage.

Diagnostic information generated from the turbine, met tower and substation is available from the Ovation SCADA system through network interfaces.

Diagnostic information, which is stored in the Ovation Historian, allows for the creation of custom graphical trends to monitor various equipment and conditions on the farm.

The SCADA system allows users to track wind turbine generator maintenance schedules and histories, and access custom reports.

The Emerson SCADA system also provides a tool that forecasts the production potential for a predefined time period based on known factors, such as wind speed, wind direction and the condition of the turbine generator.

Emerson is uniquely qualified to offer its SCADA system for application in the burgeoning wind power market.

From a power perspective, Emerson is a leading supplier of control systems for fossil, nuclear and alternative energy power generating facilities, with control systems installed in plants representing roughly 300,000 MW of generating capacity, which is equivalent to 40 percent of average peak demand in the United States.

Emerson is also a leader in the design, installation and support of steam, gas and boiler feedpump turbine control solutions.

From a SCADA perspective, a number of major metropolitan areas - including Detroit, Chicago, San Diego and Washington, DC - rely on city-wide Ovation SCADA systems to oversee large, complex water and wastewater infrastructures that require monitoring of up to 100 remote sites.

"When it comes to supervisory control and remote monitoring solutions, no one else can come close to the combination of power, turbine and SCADA experience Emerson offers," said Yeager: "As power producers diversify their energy portfolios, they can feel comfortable relying on Emerson - a familiar name with decades of relevant experience - for all their control needs".