Solar energy company Lodestone Energy has selected Emerson to provide advanced automation solutions for New Zealand’s first large-scale solar photovoltaic power project: a pair of 23 MW installations in Kaitaia and Edgecumbe.
Emerson’s automation architecture will combine control software and technologies with enterprise data solutions to create an integrated, scalable control solution to maximize output and profitability while simultaneously contributing to grid stability.
“Emerson’s expertise in automation software for power generation and sustainability will help us more quickly build a world-class facility, while also more seamlessly integrating with the national grid to drive successful, efficient operation over the lifecycle of the plant,” says Peter Apperley, general manager of engineering at Lodestone Energy.
Lodestone will take advantage of Emerson’s Ovation distributed control system and new OCR3000 controller to provide control to minimize the impact of variability and intermittency in solar PV power generation. The same technologies will also make it easier for operators to quickly respond to grid frequency events. Ovation enterprise data solutions will provide secure monitoring of solar PV operations from the control room or mobile devices, measuring, monitoring and reporting key performance indicators to increase visibility of plant operations.
Lodestone’s solar PV project requires multiple interfaces to third-party systems, including inverters, high-voltage switchboards, weather stations, site security systems and grid authority remote terminal units. Ovation will act as a process orchestration tool to connect these devices and provide fast and intuitive visibility for operators.