INDUSTRIES & SOLUTIONS
CENTRALIZED DECENTRALIZATION In today’s world, the need for sustainable energy sources has become more critical than ever before. Every solution that we develop at COPA-DATA is designed to serve the needs of customers and make their lives easier. There are a variety of use cases in the field of renewables which utilize zenon’s Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Services to present innovative approaches that will revolutionize the renewable energy sector. THE DATA PRODUCERS To better understand the potential of the IIoT in renewables, we must first understand the data: where it comes from; where it is relevant; who is going to consume it and how. By their very nature, each renewable energy asset must be designed to its own specific criteria, meaning every project, asset, and role has its various challenges. As the industry evolves, more unique and exciting opportunities arise. Take solar PV, for example. A solar PV plant differs from a wind farm not only by the differing types of field devices, but also in the type of data generated. A pyranometer is a device which measures solar irradiance on a planar surface. A key metric required in performance analysis is the solar irradiance that the plant is exposed to over a certain period of time. The performance ratio (PR) describes the relationship between the actual energy the plant has produced and the theoretical value that could be produced based on the solar irradiance metric. A windfarm, on the other hand, prioritizes other metrics – such as wind speed and direction. These are then used to plot the power curves for each turbine. This is particularly important when aging assets are increasingly causing problems and maintenance of blades and gearboxes is more challenging. Local asset performance calculations and monitoring is nothing new. It is a staple requirement found in nearly all specifications. But what if the requirement is to
be able to compare the performance of multiple, decentralized assets? Having one unified central platform where real-time and historical process and maintenance data is available from within the same ecosystem is extremely beneficial. This is where zenon IIoT Services come into play… CENTRALIZING INFORMATION FROM DECENTRALIZED ENERGY RESOURCES zenon IIoT Services enable the remote monitoring and control of renewable energy systems, regardless of their location. This is particularly beneficial for managing remote or offshore renewable energy installations, such as solar PV plants, hydroelectric plants, wind farms, and battery energy storage systems. IIoT systems can adjust their operations based on real-time data and feedback, optimizing performance. IIoT-enabled smart grids allow for efficient management and integration of renewable energy sources with the existing power grid. Real-time data from IIoT devices can help balance supply and demand, optimize energy distribution, and enable better load forecasting. This can lead to improved grid stability, reduced energy wastage, and increased reliability of renewable energy sources. To make the onboarding of renewable assets to the IIoT platform easier, we should first define a set of metrics required from each resource. Real-time values such as P, Q, I, U, alarm counters, asset status,
and server status can be defined in a data model. The data model can be integrated with the zenon application at a local site using zenon’s Smart Object technology. The same data model can then be used in the zenon IIoT software platform, thereby populating it with a standardized set of data. This helps to alleviate the need for complicated IIoT integration for brownfield projects and ensures rapid deployment of “IIoT ready” greenfield projects. Understanding how a plant is performing under all conditions is vital. The key metrics for the individual sites can be monitored and displayed using dashboards. A geographic information system (GIS) allows for each asset in the portfolio to be displayed based on its geographical coordinates. Not only can this be used to improve the energy production of individual plants, it helps in prioritizing maintenance tasks – allowing you to dispatch maintenance resources effectively and efficiently. FULFILLING REQUIREMENTS FOR CONNECTIVITY zenon comes with a rich set of connectivity options. Operation and maintenance (O&M) companies need to connect to a variety of equipment, including inverters, weather stations, battery storage systems, and software such as solar forecasting and market pricing applications. zenon has more than 300 drivers and a custom driver development option to fulfill any kind of connectivity requirements.
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