windOPS - Web-based Wind Power Management and Analytics Software
Modern wind farming with multi-million investments requires an intelligent software solution, which can both give the operator or owner a quick real-time overview of the performance of the assets as well as more in-depth information and analyses on their, laptop, tablet or smart phone.
Software Overview
A challenge nowadays is the advanced operation of the turbines where the effects of power curtailment, reduced power curves (load modes) or other curtailments imposed by the turbine supplier are often not visible to the operator or owner. This might lead to losses of several percentages that might be avoided with proper insight by the operator or owner.
windOPS is a web-based wind power management and analytics software service developed for the daily performance moni-toring and to compare, analyse and report operational and financial data for wind farm assets on a regular basis.
windOPS can both be used for single wind farms and for larger wind farm portfolios, and it is a unique third-party software solution for an independent check of the performance and availability of all your wind turbine assets regardless of brand or model.
As input, windOPS uses data from the turbines’ SCADA system, which are uploaded to the EMD server every ten minutes. These data are continuously processed, and windOPS users can compare the actual production from the whole portfolio, park or turbine with the calculated production using a refined energy/park model calculation – windOPS is the only software service on the market offering this feature.
Further, windOPS will calculate what should have been produced during non-operational periods, thus giving a very precise aggregation of lost production. Any lost production is categorized in groups (turbine errors, environmental constraints, curtailment, external conditions, etc.) making it easy to see the reasons for low performing turbines and also if warranties are kept.
Features for a refined budget follow-up linked to the wind energy index method are included, and revenues based on a given fixed price can be compared to alternative market prices (e.g. spot market prices).
windOPS also contains features to calculate and document the compensation amount claimed in connection with remote shut down due to grid curtailment (Einspeise management), or they can be used to calculate lost production in connection with insurance claims.
windOPS can be viewed in a resolution from ten minutes up to annual values defined by the user. The software service is therefore suited both for users checking the performance on a daily basis as well as users, who just want to keep track on the wind farm performance on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis.
A strong feature in windOPS is the advanced calculation method using recorded SCADA data in combination with a site specific windPRO wind model containing detailed orography and roughness information. This calculation method returns the potential free wind flow at the site at any given period allowing for a continuous comparison between real and expected production.
This combination also allows the user to separate performance analyses based on data free of wake and data in wake, and windOPS can further calculate the expected production in all time stamps, also when all turbines are not delivering SCADA data.
The special windOPS model setup also means that different noise modes (e.g. day/night) can be included when calculating the expected production.
A windOPS solution includes a calibration of the calculation model setup by EMD once six months of operational production data is available. After this calibration check, a very precise long term estimate of the Annual Energy Production (AEP) for the wind farm can be established. No other systems offer such option.
Features
Performance Monitoring
Are the turbines generating the amount of electricity as they should based on the local measured wind? With the performance monitoring features in windOPS, you can quickly get an overview of the production and performance of your wind farm(s) within the same window. With just a few additional clicks, you will get access to detailed data for individual turbines.
With the project-specific windPRO model as a “calculation engine” in the windOPS solution, you can at any time visualize whether real production meets the expected production. In addition, detailed reports covering the performance for a defined period can be prepared in PDF format, ready to be sent to other stakeholders.
It is possible to evaluate performance on four different levels:
- WAKE FREE – only data where turbines are in operation and free of wakes from other turbines
- POWER CURVE – only data where turbines are in operation, time stamps with error codes are taken out
- PROJECT – all data except for planned curtailed operation (planned outage)
- TOTAL – all data
Automatic Error Identification
The automatic error identification features in windOPS are continuously analysing the SCADA data received from the turbines. The error code list and its categories are defined when setting up the windOPS solution in close consultation with the turbine manufacturer and the asset operator/ owner.
windOPS users can set up the system to receive alerts by e-mail or SMS when no data is received, the same error code continues for a time period or if e.g. park performance falls below 80% for a certain time period.
Budget Follow-up
In windOPS you can follow your AEP budget month by month, visualizing the fulfilment or non-fulfilment of the budget. It is also possible to “normalize” the production with calculated Wind Index (based on EMD ConWX or Merra) and to check, whether the production of your wind farm matches the windiness on the site within a selected timeframe. With additional data, the AEP budget follow-up can also be extended with a monetary follow-up.
Compensation
The grid curtailment in Germany (Eisspeismanagement) and the associated methods for calculating the compensation amount are getting more and more attention, especially in regions where the development of new wind power capacity exceeds the development of new grid capacity.
After each incident of grid curtailment, the project owner or operator must calculate the compensation amount to be received from the grid operator using officially authorized calculation methods. In windOPS, you have the option to let the software calculate the compensation amount automatically according to these methods. In addition, windOPS will also generate the necessary documentation ready to be sent to the grid operator.
In the event of grid curtailment, windOPS will automatically calculate the claimed compensation amount according to both the official “Paushalen Verfahren” and “Spitzabrechnungsverfahren” methods. By having continuous compensation calculations for both methods, the user will obtain solid knowledge about which method will be most favorable to choose when the owner / operator has the option to select a method to apply for a new one year period.
Additional Advantages of windOPS
- The admin-user of the wind farm (or portfolio of wind farms) can grant access to other users; either for the whole portfolio / park or just for a single or individually selected WTGs
- Comprehensive reporting facilities to create detailed reports, either using standard settings or user defined settings
- Alarm management by significant performance decrease or outages via SMS and / or e-mail
Key Benefits
- Quick performance overview – With windOPS you get a complete overview for the portfolio, wind farm or individual turbine with just a few mouse clicks
- Transparency – The calculation model applied in windOPS is the same as when designing the wind farm. All data are processed using validated and industry standard models
- Early problem identification – With windOPS poor performance can be detected at an early stage and unnecessary financial losses can be avoided
- Supports any WTG type – All types of WTG´s can be included in a windOPS software solution
- Comprehensive reporting facilities – windOPS offers detailed reports for operators and owners showing all important information regarding the performance of the assets
- Third-party documentation – With windOPS you get tools and features for easy and precise calculation of compensation claims (grid curtailment (EisMan), insurance, etc.)
- Detailed budget follow-up – In windOPS you can continuously follow-up on the budget both measured in MWh and optionally also in currency, and also wind energy index corrected
- Project value estimation – With windOPS you will get the precise project value (expected long term AEP) after a model calibration based on six month of production data
- Power curve validation – windOPS includes features for power curve validation based on nacelle wind and met mast (IEC standard)
- Knowledge built-up – With windOPS you will gain valuable knowledge about wind farm performance transferable when designing new wind farm projects
- Secure hosting – All data are hosted on EMD´s own internal server network
- Attractive prices – windOPS is offering a “pay as you grow” cost-efficient price structure
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