Most renewable energy generation doesn’t exactly take place in the middle of urban areas—solar, wind and other renewables tend to be geographically widespread, and effective management of these plants is pretty dependent on remote control.
Advanced control and communication systems like supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), and plant security systems are vital to optimize performance, increase ROI, and meet grid requirements and contractual obligations.
Remote renewable management systems enhance the efficiency of a renewable energy generation plant by managing assets such as generators, rectifiers, batteries, air conditioners, cooling fans, and filters. They help monitor and control assets, collect and analyze data, provide remote surveillance, and send out alarms based on instant analysis for decision making processes.
Remote control is becoming essential for microgrid success
On top of managing the way energy itself is collected, remote systems also help control how that energy is distributed through microgrids.
A remote microgrid is a type of localized power grid that is much smaller than a conventional centralized electrical grid and functions autonomously. Remote microgrids produce, distribute, and control the flow of energy to consumers.
The global remote microgrid market is expected to grow significantly during 2014-2019, posting a CAGR of 12.7% in terms of revenue.
While the initial costs of implementing microgrids are pretty high, there are a few promising trends on the horizon that are expected to help sustain market growth through the projected period:
Increased R&D
The global microgrid market has witnessed increased investment in R&D by several organizations and vendors in recent years.
The growing focus on R&D as well as establishing partnership networks is helping vendors generate energy in an economical way. Financial support rendered for remote microgrids by the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and entities such as the Clinton Climate Initiative and the Bill Gates Foundation will provide a necessary boost to the market.
Rising demand for microgrids in military applications
Military establishments require a lot of uninterrupted energy, even in remote locations, and microgrids are a perfect solution for a reliable energy supply.
The Military Energy Security Act (H.R. 5230) was introduced in 2010 to create connections between military bases and national laboratories to develop safe microgrid systems.
Additionally, in 2010, the US military announced that it had been ramping up solar power generation along with other alternative energy sources by starting new microgrid projects at the Twentynine Palms Base in California and the Wheeler Air Base in Hawaii. In 2014, the US DoD planned to establish a network of 40 military bases, and investigated the deployment of mobile microgrids at more than 600 forward operating bases.
Growing need for renewable energy
Many energy developers are focusing on reducing CO2 emissions and conserving energy by replacing conventional energy sources with renewables.
The US would have the capacity to meet around 15% of the country’s power needs through renewable energy in the near future. Europe is also significantly increasing its renewable energy-generation capacities, with Sweden, Estonia, and Bulgaria expected to meet their targets for 2020.
The installation of remote microgrids is important to manage huge amounts of renewable energy, and synchronizing renewable energy sources with remote microgrids will further propel market growth.
Demand for RTUs increasing in tandem with complexity of energy systems
As energy management gets more complex, utilities are looking to more sophisticated technology to manage and communicate with devices on the grid.
This is where remote terminal units (RTUs) come in. These control devices are used in a broad range of electrical and process automation devices wherever SCADA is required to monitor and control equipment. RTUs are used to collect data from field equipment and communicate the commands from the master device, which can be done through a wired connection (telephone line, cables, or Ethernet) or wireless connection. The data is sent to the operator in real time so that they are aware of the complete situation and make any necessary changes to the grid.
Improvements in technology will mark the industry through 2019
Standardization of hardware and software in grid control devices d is making communication between devices easier, and helping in controlling, monitoring, and performing diagnostics.
Advanced IT implementation in power grids is making higher integration levels possible, which allows more processes to be automated, and reduces the risk of system failure. RTU devices are designed to meet all recent safety standards, which also makes them less vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
These improvements in technology will create demand for RTUs in smart grids in the future, which will ultimately make communication between remote energy management devices easier and more effective.
