Monitoring wind farm production
The generic wind farm Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA) allows users to gain effective insight into the various performance of turbines currently on the market. It provides wind farm operators with a sound knowledge base to determine whether certain parts are unsuitable or optimal for their turbines. Because wind farm operators could have multiple suppliers, the intention here is to avoid problems arising from incompatible parts. SCADA also collects data on existing wind farms. This data can be analysed to determine the overall functional level and operational standards of wind energy production. The extensive data collected is used for generating reports. Reporting on demand, scheduled reporting or even reporting with certain verified options are some of the benefits of this system. Such reporting is used to generate a more comprehensive understanding of performance values, providing further advantages. A remote interface unit has been developed allowing reports to be communicated directly to controllers as well as serving as an interface for the rest of the system. The core of the network is Modbus based, compatible with TCP/IP communication protocols. The system is Windows NT based, using standard interface software such as Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) and Web Technology. The remote interface unit makes this system highly advantageous in communicating with wind farms that are generally remotely situated and difficult to access.
