Wind Plant Optimization Solutions
Transcript of Wind Plant Optimization Solutions
Wind Plant Optimization Solutions- The missing link
Phoenix Contact Live EventEmpowering the Future2020-10-22
© 2020 WindESCo, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Your Optimization Solution Partner
Mo Dua
Founder and CRO
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1.857.318.4048
www.windesco.com
Create more value from data
While basic monitoring is in place, IPPs needs to adopt advanced analytics to increase plant output
Lower Opex
It is critical to operate plants more efficiently by lowering failures and extending life of main components
Quantify ROI accurately
With OEMs and 3rd parties increasingly proposing upgrades, IPPs risk adopting suboptimal solutions
Work effectively with OEMs
With projects under FSA, IPPs need to leverage data and domain expertise to push OEMs to do better
With falling power prices and increased competition, the economics of wind generation continue to face margin pressure.
IPPs need to adapt rapidly.
Problems and Challenges
Actionable Solutions
Our industry leading analytics go beyond basic reporting to provide continuous performance improvement
Trusted
We work with leading IPPs worldwide on both self and OEM operated plants
High ROI
We provide a high return on investment at a low upfront cost
Measure and Verify
Our energy improvement assessment is approved by DNV-GL
We provide the missing link between SCADA data and business value. Our industry leading analytics increase plant output while lower operating expense
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22Customers
Founded in 2014
Our Customers
Annual Value created by WindESCo for its Customers ($M/GW/Yr)
Average$3.2M/GW/Yr
Low$1.3M/GW/Yr
High$7.9M/GW/Yr
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WindESCo Solutions
Basic Advanced
Assess AEP potential by enabling “social” turbines that work collectively
to improve wind plant output
Scalable and cost-effective solution to increase output 1%- 7% by parameter
optimization
Increase OutputEvaluate Wake Steering
Potential
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Sidrap Wind Project
Location
Capacity
O&M Contract
Warranty Status
Southeast Asia
79 MW
OEM Full-Service Agreement
Under Warranty with OEM
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The ProblemIn 2019, UPC Renewables’ new 79 MW wind plant was
generating less-than-expected revenues compared to pre-
construction estimates.
The wind plant was not meeting its P50 projection and
turbines were failing their power curve tests.
No solution was being offered by the OEM to address
the issues and increase production.
Solutions That Work
WindESCo approached us early on and it was
immediately apparent that they understood our
problems and began offering real solutions right away.
Aaron Pritchard,
Technical Director & Operations Manager
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Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) systems can be mounted
on top of the nacelle to gauge wind direction in front of the rotor.
LiDAR uses laser beams directed upwind of the turbine to determine
wind speed and yaw misalignment.
LiDAR
● Continuous monitoring of wind
speed and direction
● Very expensive and must be moved from turbine to turbine
● Results from a few turbines cannot be applied universally
● Must be aligned perfectly with the nacelle
● Equipment must be sent for periodic maintenance
● Good for R&D, but not as a scalable solution
Pros
Cons
Source: Windar Photonics
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The SolutionWe determined that WeBoost Basic would be cost-
effective, scalable, and provide immediate ROI for
UPC Renewables.
WeBoost Basic is a comprehensive wind farm AEP
improvement solution which leverages SCADA data
to increase AEP between 1–7%. WeBoost Basic
requires no hardware and provides analytics beyond
existing asset monitoring platforms.
Throughout the process we worked closely with UPC
Renewables to recommend optimized parameters, to
verify that were implemented correctly, and to
calculate the gains in energy output.
Solutions That Work
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MonitoringEnergy
Improvement Assessment
ImplementationWeBoost Analytics
Implementing WeBoost Basic
Data integration to provide SCADA data for
selected tags to WindESCo
Data Integration
Apply WeBoost Analytics to provide
actionable recommendations to
project owners
Support owners in implementing
recommendations at the wind plant
Calculate the improvement in plant output from deployed
optimizations
Provide continuous monitor to ensure that
turbines are always producing optimized
power output
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FIND FIX MEASURE
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WeBoost Basic AnalyticsAfter collecting enough data, we performed
analytics consisting of proprietary SCADA data
checks.
3 checks came out as requiring further investigation.
Working with UPC Renewables, we determined that
addressing Static Yaw Misalignment would provide
the best short-term value.
2 additional recommendations were identified for
further improvement.
SCADA Data
10-Point Check Results
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How Turbines Adjust to Changes in Wind Direction
Any measured difference between wind direction
and nacelle position is called yaw error (Figure 1).
When the turbine is pointing directly into the wind,
yaw error should measure 0°.
When yaw error is too large for too long, the turbine
controller signals the yaw motors to move the
nacelle back to 0°, realigning it with the wind.
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Static yaw misalignment occurs when measured yaw error
is 0°, but the turbine is not pointing directly into the wind.
The turbine cannot see the difference between
measurement and reality, making the misalignment
invisible to the turbine controller (Figure 2).
This type of misalignment can have negative effects on
your wind project.
Static Yaw Misalignment
FIGURE 4
Your turbines produce the most energy when the
rotor is perpendicular to the wind direction.
Static yaw misalignment compromises your
turbines’ performance by lowering AEP and
increasing loads leading to decreased operating
margins.
WhyYaw Misalignment Matters?
Click to Watch the Vlog!
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The bigger your misalignment, the lower your
power output.
Our analysis has shown that loss of power
typically varies with the square of the cos(𝜃).
● 4° yaw misalignment leads to a 0.5% loss
in output
● 10° misalignment can lead to a 2.6% loss
in power output
Sites with lower wind speed tend to show a
greater percentage improvement in output
because turbines spend more time in region 2
(Figure 6).
Power Output
Loss in output for different degrees of yaw misalignment for sites with different average wind speeds.
Sometimes, static yaw misalignment is caused by your hardware.
Common physical issues that cause static yaw misalignment include:
Hardware Issues
Physical misalignment
between nacelle anemometer
and nacelle neutral axis.
This issue may occur if the
anemometer is not aligned correctly
during installation, or it has been
moved, adjusted, or bumped during
turbine service or repairs.
Change in wind direction due
to wind flow through the
rotor plane.
Wind flow across the rotor plane
changes the observed wind
direction downwind of the rotor. If
this is not accounted for, it will lead
to misalignment.
Even when there are no hardware issues present, your software issues may
cause static yaw misalignment. Common software causes include:
Software Issues
Incorrect nacelle transfer
function (NTF).
Some turbines use a nacelle transfer
function (NTF) to account for wind
flow across the rotor. Typically, a
single NTF is used for all turbines on
a farm. If the NTF is incorrect or out
of calibration, it can lead to
yaw misalignment.
Incorrect yaw offset
parameter.
Some wind plants apply a generic
offset for all turbines of a particular
model, usually based on a LiDAR
campaign on a few turbines. While
this has the potential of addressing
part of the problem, it can make the
problem worse for some turbines, if
their misalignment is different.
A data-based approach has recently emerged as an alternative to the expensive,
difficult to install, and often unreliable hardware-based detection systems.
Data-based solutions require no additional hardware as they use the turbine’s
own SCADA data to estimate and correct yaw misalignment.
SCADA Data-Based Detection Solutions
● Requires owner to have access to SCADA data
● No downtime or additional equipment
● Ability to scale the number of turbines being analyzed
● Results available within a few months
● Provides continuous monitoringPros
Cons
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Yaw Misalignment FindingsOut of 30 turbines, we determined that 27 were
experiencing greater than 2° of static yaw
misalignment and needed correction.
We worked with UPC Renewables to not just
implement our recommendations, but also to provide
feedback to confirm the recommended offsets were
implemented correctly.
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Common Approachesfor Energy Improvement Assessment
Hardware-Based Power Curves
Nacelle Power Curves
SCADA Data-Based Side-by-Side Analysis
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Nacelle anemometer
Met tower, LiDAR
Test and Control turbines
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Energy Improvement Assessment
Optimized Data
After implementing any performance improvement recommendation
or upgrade, it is extremely important to calculate the increase in plant
output. Traditional validation techniques are too uncertain—similar
to using a tape measure instead of a caliper.
Our proprietary approach to calculate improvement in output
provides reliable results with low uncertainty. This approach has been
proven on multiple projects.
Increased Energy Production
- 𝚺
Baseline Model
Independent Engineer Approved
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WeBoost Basic - Case Study
2%Validated increase in AEP
2% Improvement in plant output
$5,700/MW/Yr
Revenue Increase
Customer
Capacity
O&M Contract
Warranty Status
UPC Renewables
79 MW
OEM Full-Service Agreement
Under Warranty with OEM
DOWNLOAD CASE STUDY HERE
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WeBoost Advanced
No communication between turbines
leads to lost revenue
Existing Farms
WindESCo has developed a unique system to make
existing farms cooperative and intelligent
Social Wind Farms
Upwind turbines inform downwind turbines,
stronger turbines protect weaker turbines
Protection
WeProtect
Developed in collaboration with Phoenix Contact
Measures the movement of blades to determine wind
conditions
Required on a few turbines at a wind farm, not all turbines
Wind resource is too complex to quantify
using nacelle anemometer only
So we developed the WeSense
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© 2020 WindESCo, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Your Optimization Solution Partner
Questions?
Mo Dua
Founder and CRO
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +1.857.318.4048
www.windesco.com