Remote operations centre gives farms remote control
From BP Wind Energy’s remote operations centre in Houston, all 13 of its farms across seven US states are closely monitored 24/7. The information relayed back helps them to produce more efficiently, economically and safely
Sitting in a darkened room more than 30 floors above the streets of downtown Houston, US, a BP Wind Energy operator is able to tell visitors exactly how much power is being generated on a wind farm as far away as California—and what the weather’s like there.
This is the remote operations centre (ROC), where some 800 million individual data points from BP’s 13 wind farms in seven states are stored every month. The mass of information allows the remote operations team to keep a close eye on critical and variable factors, such as turbine availability, power generation capacity, market pricing and wind speed.
Software collects the data at each individual wind farm, as well as from weather services and national electric system operators like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is then transmitted to Houston. Much of the information is displayed in the form of pie charts or bar graphs on the centre’s five by 18 feet-long (1.5 by 5 metre-long) brightly coloured screens—known as ‘the wall’. It flickers on a regular basis, as numbers adjust in real-time.
“The wall gives operators visibility of what is happening at each wind farm,” says David Grant, director of remote operations and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) technology for BP Wind Energy. “We can look at the performance of an individual turbine and compare it with others from the same manufacturer at a specific wind farm or across the fleet; we can recognize if equipment starts to operate outside a normal parameter and react.”
This is the remote operations centre (ROC), where some 800 million individual data points from BP’s 13 wind farms in seven states are stored every month. The mass of information allows the remote operations team to keep a close eye on critical and variable factors, such as turbine availability, power generation capacity, market pricing and wind speed.
Software collects the data at each individual wind farm, as well as from weather services and national electric system operators like the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is then transmitted to Houston. Much of the information is displayed in the form of pie charts or bar graphs on the centre’s five by 18 feet-long (1.5 by 5 metre-long) brightly coloured screens—known as ‘the wall’. It flickers on a regular basis, as numbers adjust in real-time.
“The wall gives operators visibility of what is happening at each wind farm,” says David Grant, director of remote operations and SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) technology for BP Wind Energy. “We can look at the performance of an individual turbine and compare it with others from the same manufacturer at a specific wind farm or across the fleet; we can recognize if equipment starts to operate outside a normal parameter and react.”
Thanks to an alarm system configured inhouse, operators in the ROC know almost immediately of any problems in the field. “If we have a piece of hardware that trips out on a farm—whether that’s an individual turbine, network component, sub-station or meteorological tower—we are alerted by an alarm, typically within five to 10 seconds of that event taking place,” explains Tony Tousha, wind operations specialist.
With such oversight and the ability to switch individual turbines on or off, the centre plays a significant role in managing risk for the wind business and maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies around voltage control and electrical power supply.
“The data points we collect and analyze are really key performance indicators that allow us to maximize wind turbine availability and reliability and ensure revenue generation is optimized when the wind is blowing,” says Grant.
With a live feed onscreen reflecting the current electricity price for each facility, when the price spikes, a telephone call from the Houston centre to a wind farm may mean a change to the daily maintenance cycle in order to optimize turbines’ position to capture wind.
With such oversight and the ability to switch individual turbines on or off, the centre plays a significant role in managing risk for the wind business and maintaining compliance with regulatory agencies around voltage control and electrical power supply.
“The data points we collect and analyze are really key performance indicators that allow us to maximize wind turbine availability and reliability and ensure revenue generation is optimized when the wind is blowing,” says Grant.
With a live feed onscreen reflecting the current electricity price for each facility, when the price spikes, a telephone call from the Houston centre to a wind farm may mean a change to the daily maintenance cycle in order to optimize turbines’ position to capture wind.
Information available in the ROC can also help keep staff on the ground safe, in their often-isolated locations. The centre’s real-time weather map of the entire country shows white, lightning-bolt graphics as storms move across the Great Plains. Each wind farm is highlighted and when storm, tornado or flash flood warnings come within a 90-, 60- or 30-mile (145-, 95-, or 50-kilometre) radius, messages are dispatched to affected sites that may need to evacuate staff.
“We’re able to zoom right into the location of a wind farm and be the eyes in the sky in the middle of the night for a facility manager, who may live 25 miles [40 kilometres] away and might not be experiencing the same severity of weather as a different part of the site,” says Grant.
“We’re able to zoom right into the location of a wind farm and be the eyes in the sky in the middle of the night for a facility manager, who may live 25 miles [40 kilometres] away and might not be experiencing the same severity of weather as a different part of the site,” says Grant.
Upgraded space
Back in Houston, the ROC’s 1,500 square feet (140 square metres) of space, which became operational in September 2011, is an upgrade from the original centre, which amounted to just 180 square feet (16 square metres), one floor above. As the business and team grew, a larger location became necessary and in designing the new centre, comfort and ease-of-use for six operators, who work individual 12-hour shifts, was a priority.As such, all computer hardware is stored in a server closet to minimize noise and wiring placed under the floor. The lighting system can be controlled in multiple zones to suit individual taste, as can the adjustable heating and air-conditioning.
Even though the technology may seem to take the starring role in the ROC, the skills of the individuals who interpret the data are the invaluable asset.
“The operators have inquisitive minds, which makes them want to question the data,” Grant points out. “Our technology is available in the industry, but what sets BP Wind Energy apart is how we use it to give us competitive advantage.”
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