Projects | Real-time monitoring
Ground Control and Inmarsat enable real-time monitoring for RWE’S hydroelectric power generating facilities in Wales
Right: RWE Llugwy Leat, Snowdonia National Park, prior to the install of the hydrology station. RWE needed to closely monitor weather conditions and water levels in Snowdonia National Park but didn’t want to have to send people out to do so
Below: RWE IoT-enabled hydrology station at Llugwy Weir, Snowdonia National Park
AS CONCERNS OVER CLIMATE change grow and natural gas prices soar, reducing society’s reliance on fossil fuel powered electricity to ensure security of supply, becomes imperative. Energy producers have been responding to the challenge of providing the clean, secure and affordable electricity we need. By leveraging the Internet of Things (IoT) and the satellite communications that underpin it, they are maximising the amount of renewable energy they can make from existing infrastructure, while they invest in new capacity. Climate change and the extreme weather it brings, can increase flood risk, which is bad news for everyone who could be affected. But, if you run a hydroelectric plant, it is also a missed opportunity to make clean electricity. By installing hydrology stations to access and use real-time data to manage the water levels in your catchments to perfection, you can optimise your electricity output to everyone’s benefit, which is the approach taken by RWE.
RWE is one of the world’s leading renewable energy
companies and Wales’ largest electricity generator. It produces almost 1GW of renewable energy in the nation, placing it at the forefront of a low carbon future for Wales. To further its renewable energy transition in the UK while meeting growing energy demands, the company is also developing around 150MW of innovative onshore wind projects including community shared ownership. Offshore, it plans to extend four wind projects, representing a potential multi-billion-pound investment. The company’s renewable energy operations also include five hydroelectric power stations in the Snowdonia National Park in northwest Wales. To maximise its renewable energy output, it must make the most of the energy generating potential of these five power stations.
The challenge Snowdonia is a region whose significant rainfall makes
it a perfect place for harnessing water to produce electricity. As climate change increases the likelihood of extreme weather, it also increases the risk of flooding in this remote, mountainous area. In turn, flooding could create landslides and damage spillways down hillsides, as well as roads, pathways, and fields. To turn these potentially negative events into additional green electricity, RWE needs to closely monitor hydrology conditions at its hydroelectric power stations so it can best manage water levels and flow rates in its catchment areas. But there’s a catch. Snowdonia’s picturesque
landscape is protected by national park status. This means it is subject to strict planning regulations intended to preserve its natural beauty and building obtrusive installations, including monitoring sites, is
24 | December 2021 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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