In my years of being immersed in the solar industry, I have witnessed vast changes and technological advancements that have significantly impacted how we harness, store, and distribute solar energy. A change I find particularly interesting is the shift from traditional systems to smarter, more capable technologies, which can meet the increasing complexity of demands we place on solar energy potentials. This blog post will focus on a looming change: upgrading supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) capabilities by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) technology in cloud computing.
SCADA, a technology tracing back to the 1970s, has been a consistent part of the solar company standard. However, as the solar industry evolves, so do the shortcomings of older technologies like SCADA. One such flaw lies in its inability to effectively store big data – the kind that AI thrives on – for long-term operations. Increasingly, the solar industry – and indeed the broader society – is integrating with an array of distributed energy resources (DERs) like EV chargers, batteries, and more. SCADA’s ability to interconnect and work with diverse hardware has significant implications for compatibility and scalability.
But what if we could leverage industrial IoT protocols and cloud computing to extend SCADA’s capabilities? This innovative integration offers numerous benefits to solar array for home operators, independent power producers (IPPs), grid operators, and asset owners, ushering us into the era of a smarter, more efficient grid.
One of the immediate advantages of a software-first, cloud-driven approach is the expansion of control types available to clean energy assets. Cloud-based controls eliminate the constraints of a control library, becoming a constantly evolving tool that improves over time, adapting to the changing requirements of the solar industry. This flexibility makes it possible to offer advanced control options like energy shifting, peaker replacement, voltage support, frequency regulation, and peak shaving, just to name a few.
Cloud computing also allows for the cross-analysis of energy production data and thermal analysis. That brings an exciting capability to not only glean automatic alerts with minimum false positives but also get in-depth analyses for problem causes and recommended resolutions. Such computing power, currently unavailable in the SCADA-only approach, would be a groundbreaking change in solar companies’ strategy.
Further duration of SCADA’s capabilities, thanks to cloud computing, involves managing controls within the distributed assets, all in one place. Our grid has been becoming increasingly interconnected, which implies a need for a more coordinated approach in handling and managing distributed assets. Aggregating and analyzing data from multiple sites in the cloud will empower AI to access more data points, leading to better grid support and monetization.
While SCADA has indeed been celebrated for its security, it isn’t without its issues. Its limited functionality restricts asset optimization and grid stability. However, with industrial internet of things (IoT) and its high-level encryption and verification, we see a considerable boost in cybersecurity capabilities for solar companies.
So, if you’re considering investing in solar panels for your home, reconsider the traditional SCADA-only approach. Instead, look at the more future-ready combination of cloud computing, AI, and IoT. This integration promises not just improved functionality, but also the heralding of an interconnected, AI-powered, dynamic grid. In my view, solar companies adopting such systems will be the leaders in the transition to a truly smart grid, staying ahead in the rapidly advancing era of clean, smart energy resources.
Original Articlehttps://pv-magazine-usa.com/2024/08/02/rethinking-renewable-energy-control-systems-to-create-a-smarter-grid/
