One of the most exciting things about the rise of solar energy as a viable technology has been witnessing just how quickly solar operations around the globe have grown in scale. Today’s utility-scale solar farms can be huge, generating hundreds or thousands of megawatts of power and making a significant contribution to the grid.
With growth, however, comes added complexity. Excess generation cannot simply be pushed onto the grid with no forethought. Conversely, when the sky is cloudy and solar farms underperform, providers need a way to make up the difference to eliminate power outages for their customers. As Brett Benson explains in his recent article in North American Clean Energy, the system is dynamic, so operations must be dynamic in response. Dynamic operation is possible, but not without good data, so, Brett explains,
“Companies are building a long-term plan for their solar and battery data, putting the foundational technologies in place now to drive more value from their data over the lifecycle of their assets.”
Complexity brings challenges
While it may sound easy to manage data across a solar farm, it is typically quite complex. PV solar operations have many I/O points, all digital, and each generating its own data. In fact,
“In large sites, this can easily reach hundreds of thousands of data points. Battery storage can increase those numbers exponentially, with some of the largest battery sites capturing over a million values. Adding bidirectional inverter communication to the equation creates a complex system that needs simplifying tools to determine an optimal charge and discharge schedule.”
And it isn’t just important to collect that data, it’s also important to organize and manage it. To be successful, the underlying infrastructure must be engineered and maintained intentionally. Modern technologies can help.
- Solar SCADA – Fit-for-purpose SCADA software like Emerson’s Ovation™ Green SCADA automatically collects and contextualizes millions of data points and displays critical information in a single place, using intuitive charts displaying meaningful KPIs.
- Digital Twin Simulation Software – Creating a digital replica of the solar facility empowers teams to test and train new operating strategies without risk. Analysts can run historical data through simulations to track and trend anomalies and test strategies based on market and environmental data.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Though only in its infancy, AI will likely have a significant impact on future operations. Teams are already building infrastructure to support cloud AI tools that will quickly and effectively process and analyze multivariate data to predict outcomes and degradation far faster than has ever been possible. In addition, advanced control tools like the Ovation 4.0 control system will feature AI capabilities to provide deeper insights with actionable information for faster, data-informed decisions.
Brett shares more details for how modern technologies will help teams make the most of the data coming from their solar and battery operations in the full article. He provides additional examples and strategies for putting foundational technologies in place to improve performance and drive operational excellence.
