In cooperation with a leading wind turbine operator, we have developed a cloud-based Asset Integration Platform (AIP) that contributes to optimised performance and maintenance of the company’s wind farms. The platform replaces a complex, hardware-based infrastructure with heavy data flows, making it easier and quicker for the company to analyse and act on wind farm data. The platform supports the company’s ambitious growth plan and is the focal point of its digitisation strategy.

CHALLENGE: LEGACY TECHNOLOGY WHICH IS HARD TO MAINTAIN AND SCALE

Wind farm data is vital to optimising the operation of wind farms. Still, the data is difficult to work with as it stems from different data sources and data formats vary widely between turbines. Thus, it is a heavy and time-consuming process to make value from data and draw value from data. Our customer operates and maintains about 1500 multi-brand wind farms with plans for further expansion. The existing infrastructure is from when the company operated significantly fewer wind farms and has grown in many directions over time.

The company had two choices: Develop the existing infrastructure and invest in more specialists. Or investigate new solutions focusing on increased business value.

SOLUTION: READY-TO-USE DATA AT YOUR FINGERTIPS

In cooperation with our client, we have developed a platform that integrates seamlessly with different turbines and substations. The idea behind the solution is to deliver ready-to-use data in a socket, releasing users from the time-consuming task of distilling and transforming unstructured data into a helpful basis for decision-making.

The platform enables the company to retrieve data from multiple asset types and OEM brands and expose this data in a standardised, uniform way. The platform supports various data types and can quickly scale to support more turbines and data sources as the company expands. The company expects a five-fold increase in data quantities over the next five years.

The operation centre has access to live data on the wind farm’s current performance, and the analysts can plan service and maintenance based on historical data. Data is also used to increase business insights and ensure high IT performance and compliance. A user-friendly interface presents both live and historical data to different user profiles.

Constructing the platform on DevOps, Microsoft Azure Cloud, and best IT practices are future-proof technologies that do not limit the company. The platform can be scaled and adapted to match the client’s current and future needs.

RESULT: INCREASED YIELD BY SHORTER TIME TO ACTION

The new platform makes extracting value from the wind farm assets easier and quicker across brands and industry standards. The easier access to facts-based insight enables the company to predict the need for service and maintenance more accurately and timely and react more promptly to alarms. Alarms that could previously take minutes to reach the operation centre now arrive in seconds. Quicker time to action is key to the optimised operation of wind turbines and substations and will increase yield in future.

Besides these essential gains, the company has also obtained increased visibility in its infrastructure and can clamp down on sources of error with precision. The previous complex environment has been replaced by a unified structure that scales flexibly. As a result, the company can operate with more agility which is crucial for its future expansion.

Curious to learn more about how we can help you with an AIP solution?

Let us know by reaching out to us! We welcome all curious questions, and perhaps we can find a solution to your exact need!

Alexander Burster | Sales and Marketing Coordinator | abu@scadaminds.com | +45 70 23 73 73