INDUSTRY 4.0 The Revolution, now!

Energy is a large part of the product cost and Solar Turbines cogeneration plants are already helping its customers to reduce this share. Typically running their combined heat and power plant (CHP), our customers are asking the following questions: what can I do more? How can I integrate my heat and power production following production loads, tariffs variations, incentives and load sharing opportunities in order to maximize cost saving and enhance my competitiveness? Solar Turbines’ answer is called Integrated Energy Optimization System (IEO), designed to optimize the cogeneration plant management being integrated with the utility and production systems, monitoring the external and the internal parameters and, ultimately, capturing all energy cost saving opportunities.

Energy Optimization System – Why Energy Optimization?

Optimum energy efficiency has been for a long time the primary objective of any CHP plant management system, but the concept of operating at optimum plant efficiency to maximize profit is not always a valid assumption.

THE BEST is the enemy of THE GOOD

Typically the design points for CHP systems are based on fix and average historical data. Nowadays Companies have fast changing dynamics and process requirements and this normally results in high potential for efficiency growth and cost savings.

System suggestion (blue band) versus operator choice (green line).

What the Energy Optimization System is

Solar Turbines Integrated Energy Optimization system (IEO) is a data driven approach solution that maximizes continuously the economics of a combined heat and power plant, by the introduction of a lean energy operation that dynamically balances the combined heat and power supply with energy market changes and plant demand.

A value-add offering not only through its traditional Customer Services solutions but through the technology, which integrates seamlessly with customer’s existing system beyond the cogeneration system and delivers increased plant performance, as unique technology based solution completely new on the market and already integrated with Solar gas turbine products. IAO is a technology-based solution, designed to run multi-factor engineering analysis, utilizing big-data analytics, energy forecasting and next-generation optimization techniques, to provide real-time energy management recommendations on the operational dashboard. The system provides operational energy recommendations in real time with adequate consideration given to safety, identifying the optimum operation conditions by making the most of the measurement and control devices installed on the existing gas turbine.

Actual benefits for energy optimization

The benefits of the introduction of IEO are to reduce the total yearly energy bill, improve the management of the combined heat and power performance and optimize fuel consumption in the gas turbine.

Moreover the collection and storage of all the plant data allow the continuous data driven improvement, planning and prioritizing factory/plant capital investments and development of automation processes reducing manual tuning events. A technology-based solution like IEO offered by Solar Turbines utilizes real-time technology and domain expertise to maximize the return of investment for the power generation plant, to reduce energy consumption and to provide a beneficial impact on fuel conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Solar Turbines is providing a solid contribution in the exploration of new energy market frontiers with its products, solutions and expertise. In particular IEO represents the state of the art of plant optimization tools opening a new way of managing energy costs that combines big data analysis with a full integration of the cogeneration plant into the production facility.