Maintaining uptime in the renewable energy industry is essential for ensuring a reliable, sustainable, and resilient energy supply, supporting economic growth and addressing environmental challenges.
However, renewables face a range of policy uncertainties and implementation challenges, particularly those relating to downtime mitigation and grid integration. In particular, wind and solar projects in advanced economies have faced grid integration challenges that have led to lower-than-planned capacity being awarded in government auctions.
In emerging and developing economies, stop-and-go policies, the lack of grid availability and risks concerning social acceptance of wind and hydropower projects have caused an increasing number of delays.
At Dynamic Ratings, we are dedicated to rapidly deploying new infrastructure to help renewable energy providers do more with less, keeping carbon emissions low while also keeping electricity supply safe and reliable, which in turn fosters increased public support.
Our dedication to uptime demonstrates why asset management and monitoring software helps renewable energy providers improve business performance. We offer solutions through our suite of monitoring products, the best digital asset management software solutions available on the market, and our dedicated support philosophy, while also sharing knowledge and resources with both utility providers and the public at large.
Renewable Energy Uptime is Crucial
Renewable energy monitoring plays a crucial role in ensuring the efficient and effective operation of renewable energy systems, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biomass installations.
Monitoring renewable energy systems allows operators to track performance in real-time and identify potential inefficiencies or underperformance issues. By analyzing data on energy production, environmental conditions, and system parameters, operators can optimize the operation of renewable energy assets to maximize energy yield and profitability.
Monitoring systems enable early detection of faults, failures, and malfunctions in renewable energy equipment, such as solar panels, wind turbines, inverters, and battery storage systems. Timely diagnostics and troubleshooting help minimize downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and prevent costly equipment damage or failures.
Finally, monitoring renewable energy systems enables operators to assess their environmental impact, including carbon emissions reduction, air and water quality, habitat preservation, and biodiversity conservation. This information supports sustainability initiatives, corporate social responsibility efforts, and green certification requirements.
Dynamic Ratings’ Suite of Products
Online monitoring mitigates lost revenue due to unplanned downtime and outages, which is why Dynamic Ratings is committed to using online data to detect any early signs of potential problems before they escalate.
Our suite of monitoring products provide downtime mitigation, which in turn increases the reliability of the energy supply output, improves grid stability, improves public perception and confidence, while improving economic viability.
More and more, utilities are challenged to do more with less, and with reduced staffing and budget constraints, condition-based monitoring helps utilities eliminate repetitive maintenance tasks.
From our 38kV Coupling Capacitor to our C50 suite for transformers and bushings; from our Breaker Performance Monitors for circuit breakers to our SCM and Switchgear Monitors for general switchgear, Dynamic Ratings is on the frontline of asset management solutions, mitigating long lead times on electrical asset replacement by extending the life of our clients’ assets.
The 38kV Coupling Capacitor
The Dynamic Ratings Epoxy Mica Coupling Capacitor is a versatile partial discharge sensor commonly used to detect partial discharge in many applications including generators, motors, switchgear, iso-phase bus ducts, and transformers, ranging in voltage levels from 8, 16, 28 and 38kV.
The Coupling Capacitor is a highly sensitive partial discharge sensor used to decouple PD from the monitored conductor, and the epoxy resin is specifically designed for high voltage insulator applications.
The material provides excellent insulation properties, mechanical strength, and superior resistance to chemicals including concentrated acids. It also has superior arc resistance as compared to standard electrical grade epoxy materials.
Designed for Reliability
Improved reliability is achieved by using a high number of mica sections in the assembly. Uniformity in the capacitive layers and improved dielectric strength is achieved through the use of capacitive layers produced exclusively from virgin mica splitting.
By facilitating the detection and analysis of PD activity, the 38kV Epoxy Mica Coupling Capacitor plays a crucial role in Switchgear Partial Discharge (PD) Monitoring systems, enabling the transmission, isolation, filtering, and measurement of PD signals from the switchgear to external monitoring equipment.
Transformer & Bushing Monitoring with C50
The C50 Transformer Monitor from Dynamic Ratings makes condition monitoring easy and affordable. It looks at the condition of your assets so that you can use real-time data to make decisions about your high voltage transformers.
The C50 monitors internal and ambient temperatures, power factor and capacitance, partial discharge, multi-gas DGA, cooling systems, as well as bushing health.
Ease of Configuration
The configuration process is streamlined to ensure you only spend time configuring functions and settings that are relevant to your needs. Backward compatibility allows users to copy configurations from other C50s you’ve already programmed, allowing for easy large-scale deployment.
The C50 interfaces with third party devices such as multi-gas DGA monitors to consolidate all critical operating data for viewing and analysis at a single point, and it also tracks, stores and reports installed firmware revision levels.
The C50 Bushing Monitor
Bushings contribute heavily to the overall reliability of power transformers. Malfunctioning bushings can lead to catastrophic transformer failure, causing power outages and significant disruptions to the electrical grid.
Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are intermittent and variable, meaning their availability fluctuates based on weather conditions and time of day. Managing this variability and integrating renewable energy into the grid while ensuring reliability and stability presents a significant challenge for utilities.
Regular online condition based monitoring helps utilities maintain a high level of system reliability, regardless of outside factors. Because health monitoring helps utilities identify signs of degradation, bushings monitoring reduces risks and ensures the safety of personnel and surrounding infrastructure. Timely detection allows for proper mitigation measures to be implemented and is crucial for maintaining a reliable power supply.
The C50 Bushing Monitor makes condition monitoring easy and affordable, as it looks at the condition of your assets so that you can use real-time data to make decisions about your high voltage transformers.
BPM for Circuit Breakers
Dynamic Ratings Breaker Performance Monitor is the most comprehensive circuit breaker monitoring solution available. With the inclusion of Smart Capture, the Breaker Performance Monitor combines the most effective offline and online testing methods with a highly customizable and modular online monitoring package, resulting in a monitor capable of performing the advanced analytics required to detect operating deficiencies well in advance of breaker failure.
The Breaker Performance Monitor is ideally suited for implementing predictive maintenance, maintenance deferral, condition based maintenance and increased environmental protection from SF6 gas leaks.
Smart Capture Technology
Complete diagnosis of the breakers’ mechanical and electrical systems with every operation. Smart Capture uses a waveform analysis for graphical comparison of breaker operations, providing a detailed analysis of first trip open and close times, identification of latch and bearing performance, lubrication issues, auxiliary contact condition and fault current values.
Switchgear Monitor for General Switchgear
Switchgear is critical to the protection and control of medium voltage systems in many utility and industrial applications. These devices usually consist of a control house and multiple circuit breakers, serving as the primary means for rerouting power through the various branches of distribution circuits. They provide overcurrent protection against through faults, which provides a means for circuit interruption when these overcurrent conditions are present.
The Dynamic Ratings Switchgear Monitor looks at electric and mechanical performance of your switchgear lineup, and along with the SCM gives users a comprehensive look at your switchgear lineup.
The Switchgear and Cable Monitor (SCM) continually monitors partial discharge (PD), and stores and correlates operating dynamics. The SCM provides information on the health of the medium voltage insulation systems of switchgear, cables, bus duct and unit substations.
Helping Renewable Energy Companies Succeed
Through continuous improvement initiatives, Dynamic Ratings is ingrained in our clients’ business processes, creating opportunities for asset management improvement by identifying feedback loops, post-implementation reviews, and the incorporation of best practices to enhance overall efficiency.
Dynamic Ratings partners with our customers as well as with suppliers who bring experience in installing/commissioning equipment optimally, ensuring loss revenue reduction during installation outage.
Consider a recent success story, where an energy company experienced a bushing failure on a Generator Step Up transformer (GSU) that caused a catastrophic failure of the transformer and significant lost revenue. Dynamic Ratings responded by connecting them with a supplier that offered:
- Turnkey installation
- Monitor upgrades
- New monitor installations
- Selection and integration of a battery monitor
- Visualization software
- 24/7 monitoring and reporting of equipment condition
The energy company needed a means to monitor their entire fleet of wind and solar generation assets across the United States and Canada. In addition, they wished to automate monitoring of station service batteries subject to NERC PRC compliance and reporting. Since the system is widely dispersed and located in remote locations, minimizing site visits was critical to operating efficiency and containing maintenance costs.
Dynamic Ratings’ LIFESTREAM™ Support Services Team met all the requirements requested by the energy company. Existing Dynamic Ratings E3 monitors were originally provided as part of the transformer OEM installations. These units were enhanced to include the bushing monitoring functionality. For sites with no monitors previously deployed, C50 monitors with bushing monitoring were installed.
Monitoring was installed on two system battery banks (UPS batteries) that required continuous monitoring and alarming.
Thanks to Dynamic Ratings’ DynamicMetrix® data visualization software, the energy company now has web access to view real-time information and to download historical data, as well as an asset-specific health index used to integrate the monitored information.
If you’d like to learn more about how Dynamic Ratings is helping renewable energy utilities provide reliable, safe electricity, lower carbon emissions, and mitigate downtime, get in touch today.
Author: Tyler Willis, Dynamic Ratings