The continuing changes in the electrical grid that have come as a result of the shift toward more renewable energy have dramatically increased complexity of power generation and distribution operations. Operators not only need to keep a close eye on their plants to ensure they are supplying (and not over-supplying) adequate power, but they also need to predict the future and react—following both weather forecasts and market rates and trends to make the best decisions to ensure safe and profitable operations.
In his recent article in InTech, Emerson’s Rick Kephart explored the use cases for a critical technology teams are using to navigate this new complexity: digital twin simulation. Though digital twins are not new, power companies are relying on them more than ever to support the current and future transitions in their energy portfolios.
Redefining dispatchable power operations
The rise of renewables has ushered in a seismic shift in the way traditional dispatchable plants are run.
“Such plants are seeing the need for more dynamic operation, which increases the number of complex activities operators must perform. Improved operational efficiency is highly reliant on the organization’s ability to tap into the knowledge of industry veterans to reskill current staff, and to teach a new generation of digital natives how to operate plants safely and efficiently.”
But training operators isn’t as simple as putting them in front of the Ovation control system control board and having them try out various scenarios on live equipment. Complex activities like startup and shutdown—the activities most commonly requiring training—cannot be safely practiced on live equipment. A digital twin simulation, however, provides the perfect environment to safely train operators. Users can experience live scenarios, just as they would see them in their day-to-day operations, and react in real-time, without any risk that mistakes will lead to disaster. In fact, the same scenarios can be run over and over to ensure operators are performing the best actions every time, no matter who is at the control station.
Renewables raise the bar
The use case for digital twin simulation in renewables operations is less about training and more about testing control strategies for optimal operation. Teams can not only use the digital twin to optimize operations before building out a new facility but can also use it to better build and manage portfolios of assets, modeling loads and determining the capability of existing electrical components.
This testing of control is particularly valuable to organizations managing fleets of distributed energy resources. As markets continue to evolve, more players come into the marketplace, and regulations and rates change, teams will be able to use digital twin simulation to better navigate a complex marketplace. And as they do so, tools like Emerson’s smart grid extensions will help them dial in optimal operation,
“Many companies are also extending their digital twin capabilities outside of the plant with smart grid extensions. These tools are used with grid-level simulation packages to provide simulation of an organization’s total power system. Such a solution can help organizations understand the grid’s varying conditions, while managing communications and data flows to optimize production across the total power system, from generation to distribution.”
Rick digs even more deeply into digital twin simulation in the power industry, including a detailed description of the technology and some practical examples, in the full article over at InTech.
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