ROLLS-ROYCE HOLDINGS PLC The energy transition has enabled more diverse, sustainable and decentralised power systems than ever before, bringing with them new challenges in terms of control and regulation. Artificial intelligence (AI) could be the answer.
Where dependency on the power grid may decrease in favour of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, the complexity around high-performance automation can increase.
Microgrids, for example, may comprise of photovoltaics and wind power, battery energy storage, electrolysers, fuel cells and classical generator sets based on gas and diesel engines. To operate efficiently, an automation system needs to understand and calculate the actual power requirement, weather conditions and power generation - both now and in the future.
"These days, even if you're looking at what seems like a pretty basic emergency power system, you'll hardly be able to escape the issue of automation," explains Jan Henker, Senior Expert Automation and Controls at Rolls-Royce.
That's why Jan and his team have developed the mtu EnergetIQ. The smart automation platform - incorporating the mtu EnergetIQ Manager and distributed mtu EnergetIQ Asset controllers - uses AI to determine the ideal composition of power generation, power storage and power requirement.
It delivers a highly flexible, endlessly scalable and versatile solution which can be tailored to individual customer requirements. In the specific case of a microgrid, EnergetIQ calculates the optimum energy mix based on current and future weather data, prices on the electricity exchange and the customer's energy requirement.
"If you want to achieve perfect interplay in leveraging the strengths of the different technologies, and not just today, but tomorrow, next week, and beyond, then what you need isn't a fixed operating strategy but one that constantly recalculates itself automatically. That requires an over-arching, data-driven solution - in other words, the optimiser function of mtu EnergetIQ," Jan explains.
These capabilities will be in increasing demand in the near future, as fossil fuel supply restrictions and substantial price increases drive many customers towards reconceptualising their power supply systems, alongside increased interest in CO2 reduction.
Jan and his colleagues have developed the solution to better harmonise the control of the different products in the rapidly growing mtu portfolio. EnergetIQ bridges all these components, connecting a single power generation unit or complex energy system, as well as supporting full integration from single sensors to clouds. To deliver clear, uniform visuals and standard interfaces, the team have enabled the same look and feel whether EnergetIQ is controlling a fuel cell, a battery, a classical generator set or a complex microgrid.
EnergetIQ is already proving its performance capabilities in the field. In Japan, it controls the emergency power supply at a data centre and, in the US, EnergetIQ is being used by various customers to manage gas generator sets. A more complex plant comprising gas generator sets, battery storage systems and photovoltaic installations is to be added to the list in the coming months.
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Rolls-Royce Holdings plc published this content on 05 December 2022 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 05 December 2022 10:01:08 UTC.
