Blog - Post List
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Going Boldly Into a Green Hydrogen Future

    Of all the new sustainable technologies emerging in the energy marketplace, one of the most exciting is green hydrogen. In an era of increasing focus on sustainability, green hydrogen has the potential to provide clean power for manufacturing, transportation, and more, and its only emission is water.  But while the possibilities for use are limitless, the value chain for green hydrogen manufacturing is incredibly complex…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Increasing Demands by Solar Plants for Regulatory Compliance, Efficiency and Productivity Are Met and Exceeded by PACSystems™︎ Control Solutions

    Dealing with outdated legacy systems is a challenge for nearly all industrial companies. In the fast-paced solar energy space, shifting market demands, regulatory requirements and increasing competition drive the need for modern capabilities to meet these new challenges. However, upgrading and replacing key technologies can be time consuming and cost prohibitive. This was the challenge that Nor-Cal Controls, a leading…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Increasing Demands by Solar Plants for Regulatory Compliance, Efficiency and Productivity Are Met and Exceeded by PACSystems™︎ Control Solutions

    Dealing with outdated legacy systems is a challenge for nearly all industrial companies. In the fast-paced solar energy space, shifting market demands, regulatory requirements and increasing competition drive the need for modern capabilities to meet these new challenges. However, upgrading and replacing key technologies can be time consuming and cost prohibitive. This was the challenge that Nor-Cal Controls, a leading…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Increasing Demands by Solar Plants for Regulatory Compliance, Efficiency and Productivity Are Met and Exceeded by PACSystems™︎ Control Solutions

    Dealing with outdated legacy systems is a challenge for nearly all industrial companies. In the fast-paced solar energy space, shifting market demands, regulatory requirements and increasing competition drive the need for modern capabilities to meet these new challenges. However, upgrading and replacing key technologies can be time consuming and cost prohibitive. This was the challenge that Nor-Cal Controls, a leading…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Beating the Drum for Improved Dynamic Performance, Resiliency and Stability

    When was the last time you thought about your drum level control strategy? If it’s been a while, here are a few reasons why you might want to elevate this on your priority list. The energy landscape has changed as power producers continue their journey toward net-zero. Renewable sources of energy are playing a more prominent role in megawatt generation and this, in turn has implications for conventional power generating…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Beating the Drum for Improved Dynamic Performance, Resiliency and Stability

    When was the last time you thought about your drum level control strategy? If it’s been a while, here are a few reasons why you might want to elevate this on your priority list. The energy landscape has changed as power producers continue their journey toward net-zero. Renewable sources of energy are playing a more prominent role in megawatt generation and this, in turn has implications for conventional power generating…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Beating the Drum for Improved Dynamic Performance, Resiliency and Stability

    When was the last time you thought about your drum level control strategy? If it’s been a while, here are a few reasons why you might want to elevate this on your priority list. The energy landscape has changed as power producers continue their journey toward net-zero. Renewable sources of energy are playing a more prominent role in megawatt generation and this, in turn has implications for conventional power generating…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Advanced Process Control for Combined-Cycle Power Plants

    Ranjit Rao , Jon Gillam , and Jim Nyenhuis presented Maximize your Combined Cycle Plant’s Performance with 5 Advanced Applications that Provide the Quickest ROI at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. They opened by sharing some statistics about the challenges with global electrification. Advance control enables greater power plant flexibility to help address some of these challenges. Jim noted a paradox that…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Advanced Process Control for Combined-Cycle Power Plants

    Ranjit Rao , Jon Gillam , and Jim Nyenhuis presented Maximize your Combined Cycle Plant’s Performance with 5 Advanced Applications that Provide the Quickest ROI at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. They opened by sharing some statistics about the challenges with global electrification. Advance control enables greater power plant flexibility to help address some of these challenges. Jim noted a paradox that…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Advanced Process Control for Combined-Cycle Power Plants

    Ranjit Rao , Jon Gillam , and Jim Nyenhuis presented Maximize your Combined Cycle Plant’s Performance with 5 Advanced Applications that Provide the Quickest ROI at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. They opened by sharing some statistics about the challenges with global electrification. Advance control enables greater power plant flexibility to help address some of these challenges. Jim noted a paradox that…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Steam Turbine Electro-Hydraulic Control

    Emerson’s Mark Stratton and Tori Winter presented Steam Turbine Electro-Hydraulic Control (EHC) Systems at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. They opened by sharing a description of a steam turbine EHC system. Fluid power components and electronic controls operate the primary steam valves on a steam turbine and includes utility, extraction, and auxiliary turbines. The EHC components consist of a hydraulic power…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Steam Turbine Electro-Hydraulic Control

    Emerson’s Mark Stratton and Tori Winter presented Steam Turbine Electro-Hydraulic Control (EHC) Systems at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. They opened by sharing a description of a steam turbine EHC system. Fluid power components and electronic controls operate the primary steam valves on a steam turbine and includes utility, extraction, and auxiliary turbines. The EHC components consist of a hydraulic power…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Optimizing Pump Performance with Measurements and Analytics

    Emerson’s Melanie Novacek presented Ovation Advanced Process Control Pump Performance Algorithm at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. Melanie opened by highlighting the APC Toolkit Pump Performance Algorithm in Ovation 3.8 systems and later. APC Toolkit pump performance algorithm calculates the following for centrifugal pumps based on the ASME Power Test Codes: Efficiency Head – suction, discharge, and total…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Optimizing Pump Performance with Measurements and Analytics

    Emerson’s Melanie Novacek presented Ovation Advanced Process Control Pump Performance Algorithm at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. Melanie opened by highlighting the APC Toolkit Pump Performance Algorithm in Ovation 3.8 systems and later. APC Toolkit pump performance algorithm calculates the following for centrifugal pumps based on the ASME Power Test Codes: Efficiency Head – suction, discharge, and total…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Power & Water Cybersecurity Tips & Tricks

    Thomas Kizer and Robert Conte presented Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite: Tips & Tricks for Advanced Users at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. The Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite (PWCS) modules collect thousands of data points every minute and enable users to customize how data is displayed to allow for faster reactions to a security incident and prepare the data to be used for compliance properly. Receiving…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Power & Water Cybersecurity Tips & Tricks

    Thomas Kizer and Robert Conte presented Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite: Tips & Tricks for Advanced Users at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. The Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite (PWCS) modules collect thousands of data points every minute and enable users to customize how data is displayed to allow for faster reactions to a security incident and prepare the data to be used for compliance properly. Receiving…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Power & Water Cybersecurity Tips & Tricks

    Thomas Kizer and Robert Conte presented Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite: Tips & Tricks for Advanced Users at the 2023 Ovation Users Group Conference. The Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite (PWCS) modules collect thousands of data points every minute and enable users to customize how data is displayed to allow for faster reactions to a security incident and prepare the data to be used for compliance properly. Receiving…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Better Grid Reliability Starts with Analytics

    As electrical grids get more complex, so too does the task of keeping them online. Grid operators have long had reliability programs, as they are essential to safe operation, but the most effective plants are updating those programs with modern technologies as they are forced to do more with less in the face of changing global market dynamics. At the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference , Emerson’s Brian Overton shared…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Better Grid Reliability Starts with Analytics

    As electrical grids get more complex, so too does the task of keeping them online. Grid operators have long had reliability programs, as they are essential to safe operation, but the most effective plants are updating those programs with modern technologies as they are forced to do more with less in the face of changing global market dynamics. At the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference , Emerson’s Brian Overton shared…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Successfully Bring Renewable Assets Into the Fold

    One of the hottest topics of conversation at the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference has been renewables, and much of that conversation has been around the struggle to bring a wide array of disparate renewable assets together into a unified system of control, monitoring, and analytics. Modern power generators need to bring a wide variety of assets together. Finding a simple solution to manage them all from one place…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Successfully Bring Renewable Assets Into the Fold

    One of the hottest topics of conversation at the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference has been renewables, and much of that conversation has been around the struggle to bring a wide array of disparate renewable assets together into a unified system of control, monitoring, and analytics. Modern power generators need to bring a wide variety of assets together. Finding a simple solution to manage them all from one place…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Ovation Users’ Group Power Industry Forum Tackles Modern Challenges

    The power industry session at the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference in Pittsburgh took a closer look into the state of the industry, exploring both what is happening broadly in power generation, as well as the impact of the rise of renewables on the way plants and organizations operate. The first session, moderated by Jim Rarey from American Electric Power, focused on the power industry in general. Jim was joined…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Ovation Users’ Group Power Industry Forum Tackles Modern Challenges

    The power industry session at the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference in Pittsburgh took a closer look into the state of the industry, exploring both what is happening broadly in power generation, as well as the impact of the rise of renewables on the way plants and organizations operate. The first session, moderated by Jim Rarey from American Electric Power, focused on the power industry in general. Jim was joined…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Ovation Users’ Group Power Industry Forum Tackles Modern Challenges

    The power industry session at the 2023 Ovation Users’ Group conference in Pittsburgh took a closer look into the state of the industry, exploring both what is happening broadly in power generation, as well as the impact of the rise of renewables on the way plants and organizations operate. The first session, moderated by Jim Rarey from American Electric Power, focused on the power industry in general. Jim was joined…
  • Alternative Energy Blog: Modernizing and Simplifying Water Handling for Power Generator

    A power producer shared the story of their successful project to upgrade their generation capacity and modernize their control system and improve communications and control with the wastewater treatment plant supplying water for steam generation. The upgrades included wet compression and duct burners to decrease NOx and CO2 emissions. The upgrade replaced a older DCS with an Ovation system on their steam turbine control…