PITTSBURGH (December 20, 2007) — Emerson Process Management introduced Ovation SCADA for wind energy management. The Ovation SCADA system features state-of-the-art monitoring, control and diagnostic functionality that optimizes wind farm operations. The SCADA system for wind energy management is part of Emerson’s portfolio of SCADA solutions for renewable energy, which also includes hydro power and solar power, among others.The introduction of the Ovation SCADA Solution for wind energy management comes at an opportune time. The World Wind Energy Association expects total installed capacity for wind energy to grow from roughly 74,000 MW in 2006 to 160,000 MW in 2010 – an increase of nearly 54 percent.
As energy companies expand power production by increasing the number of generators per farm or operating multiple wind farms, their need to efficiently and effectively manage those assets becomes progressively more important, according to Bob Yeager, president of the Power & Water Solutions division of Emerson. “In addition to optimizing operations at individual wind farms, the Ovation SCADA system can also be utilized to manage an entire fleet of wind farms,” Yeager explained.
“The ability to connect a number of active wind farms to their corporate headquarters or operations centers offers further opportunities for increased efficiency, cost savings and better overall management of assets.”The Ovation SCADA system supports wind turbine generators from all major OEMs, as well as multiple communication network types, such as dial-up, leased lines and wireless. The Ovation SCADA system offers the capability to remotely start, stop, reset and tag out individual wind turbine generators, minimizing labor-intensive site visits. Protective supervisory shutdown is automatically conducted by the Ovation SCADA system when certain predefined site conditions are reached.
For example, vibration conditions can be monitored through meteorological data obtained from a met tower interface to the Ovation SCADA system. When the vibrations exceed a safe operating limit, the Ovation SCADA system activates a shutdown of the turbine to avoid any equipment or area damage. Diagnostic information generated from the turbine, met tower and substation is available from the Ovation SCADA system through network interfaces. Diagnostic information, which is stored in the Ovation Historian, allows for the creation of custom graphical trends to monitor various equipment and conditions on the farm. The SCADA system allows users to track wind turbine generator maintenance schedules and histories, and access custom reports.
Emerson’s SCADA system also provides a tool that forecasts the production potential for a predefined time period based on known factors, such as wind speed, wind direction and the condition of the turbine generator.Emerson is uniquely qualified to offer its SCADA system for application in the burgeoning wind power market. From a power perspective, Emerson is a leading supplier of control systems for fossil, nuclear and alternative energy power generating facilities, with control systems installed in plants representing roughly 300,000 MW of generating capacity, which is equivalent to 40 percent of average peak demand in the United States.
Emerson is also a leader in the design, installation and support of steam, gas and boiler feedpump turbine control solutions.From a SCADA perspective, a number of major metropolitan areas – including Detroit, Chicago, San Diego and Washington, D.C. – rely on city-wide Ovation SCADA systems to oversee large, complex water and wastewater infrastructures that require monitoring of up to 100 remote sites. “When it comes to supervisory control and remote monitoring solutions, no one else can come close to the combination of power, turbine and SCADA experience Emerson offers,” said Yeager.
“As power producers diversify their energy portfolios, they can feel comfortable relying on Emerson – a familiar name with decades of relevant experience – for all their control needs.”
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management, an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing and distribution in the power, water and wastewater treatment, chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, food and beverage, life sciences, and other industries. Emerson's Power & Water Solutions division is a global supplier of advanced distributed process control and information systems. The Pittsburgh-based company is a recognized leader in developing plant-wide process control solutions for the power generation, water treatment and wastewater treatment industries.
Power & Water Solutions plays a key role in the Emerson mission of combining superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management and maintenance services. Emerson brands include: PlantWeb; Ovation; SmartProcess; Fisher; Micro Motion; Rosemount; Mobrey; Daniel, Bristol, DeltaV, and AMS Suite.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to provide innovative solutions to customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2007 were $22.6 billion.
