RENEWABLE TECHNOLOGY


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AT THE EDGE OF ENERGY PRODUCTION


No matter the size of the farm, operators can make turbines into smart machines with one small change. Greg Hookings, director – Digital Industries, Stratus Technologies, explains


R


eaching the looming Net Zero targets by 2050 is driving the need for clean and renewable


energy, especially wind power. In 2022 alone, wind electricity generation increased by a record 14% (265 TeraWatt Hours), beaten only by solar power in the lineup of renewable power technologies. However, estimates show that annual growth


will need to reach 17%, or 7400 TWh of wind electricity generation in 2030, to meet the 2050 target. This may be a tall order, but the UK is making excellent progress as one of the best places in the world for wind turbines. With over 11,000 wind turbines in the UK, roughly split at 80% onshore and 20% offshore, the challenge now rests on ensuring each of those turbines is producing power at an optimal capacity.


SPINNING UP So, what are the challenges of operating a wind farm? Let us assume all the first challenges have been solved, the location has been secured, local wildlife regulations have been met, and the operator has their turbine (or turbines) up and running and is looking to produce energy in the most efficient way. First, the energy they produce must compete


with other low-cost energy solutions. It remains the case that new fossil-fuel power plants can produce energy at a cheaper rate. Second, the


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energy produced by windfarms is beholden to weather conditions. Not enough or even too much wind can slow production. Finally, windfarms are often located in remote


locations, far from any level of IT and technical support that might be needed in case of an issue. This, again, will limit the amount of energy a windfarm can produce. Combining these three issues together can paint a doom and gloom picture but it isn’t the full story. Next generation technology Edge Computing offers significant help in meeting all three challenges and has a positive impact on both new turbines being commissioned and existing turbines already in operation. Such help could not come at a better time.


DIGITALISATION AND EDGE COMPUTING Despite being a relatively new technology, wind power generation must modernise to keep pace with digitalisation. Many businesses and even energy companies that could successfully deploy wind power generation technologies are holding back until it reaches a point at which it is the cheapest option. This approach, however, fails to recognise the rate of efficiency improvements. In fact, the time for investing in wind power is now, as smart technology deployments such as Edge Computing are rapidly changing the return on investment.


ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY SOLUTIONS - Summer 2024


Understanding how Edge Computing works shows clearly why it is perfectly positioned for windfarms. Operators can easily add relatively inexpensive IoT sensors to single or multiple turbine assets retroactively to bring the capability of data collection up to a modern standard. Traditionally, this data would be sent in batches to the data centre or cloud depending on the size of the farm. This data transfer adds latency, meaning operators are already on the back foot if an issue is being reported. Couple this with the fact that windfarms are very remote, and you have operators reacting to maintenance issues late, then waiting even longer for support to arrive, and all the while the turbine is not producing energy. Adding Edge Computing takes the computing power necessary to analyse data and puts it at the turbine level. For the operator, they now have real-time access to asset health data and the capacity to address even the smallest component malfunction issues before they impact energy production.


GOING REMOTE By moving the computing power to the turbine itself, operators can meet the needs of remote operations. Onshore, and especially offshore, windfarms are often in weak signal areas, slowing down the ability to gain insight even more than


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