Cutting Costs While Ensuring Reliability: Modernizing Power Generation Assets

For power generators today, wholesale replacement of aging infrastructure is cost-prohibitive. Yet systems modernization is essential to drive efficiency gains and maintain reliability standards.

The solution lies in targeted, incremental upgrades of existing assets. By taking a phased approach, generators can cut costs while ensuring reliability. This article explores practical strategies for modernizing generation portfolios step-by-step.

Prioritizing Quick Wins

Begin by identifying high-impact upgrades delivering near-term savings and performance boosts:

• Install advanced sensors for real-time diagnostics and early anomaly detection.
• Implement analytics software to optimize bidding, dispatch, and maintenance.
• Upgrade plant communications infrastructure for increased data flows.
• Deploy drones and robots to automate inspections and maintenance tasks.
• Digitize records and leverage knowledge management systems.

These software and digital enhancements require modest capital investment while driving immediate benefits.

Revamping Control Systems

While wholesale control system replacement is expensive, incremental upgrades provide value:

• Enhance data collection from plant DCS and SCADA systems.
• Incorporate advanced algorithms and analytics for enhanced optimization.
• Integrate newer technologies like drones, wearables, and digital twins.
• Deploy predictive maintenance capabilities.
• Implement cybersecurity measures.

The control system revamps the balance of costs and benefits while positioning assets for the future.

Boosting Operational Agility

Enhancing asset agility and flexibility improves efficiency and reliability:

• Automate processes to accelerate responses to disruptions.
• Utilize software analytics to evaluate risks and scenarios.
• Implement modular power islands to isolate failures.
• Adopt solid-state switching devices to reroute power faster.
• Expand energy storage to balance variable conditions.
• Streamline supply chains to speed up maintenance activities.

Greater agility enables assets to deliver optimal performance despite changing dynamics.

Extending Asset Lifetime

Analytics and monitoring can stretch asset lifetimes by providing insights to:

• Identify signs of degradation and optimize maintenance timing.
• Pinpoint root causes of failures to prevent recurrences.
• Inform minor component replacements to avoid major overhauls.
• Guide operational parameter changes to reduce wear and tear.
• Detect anomalies early and prevent catastrophic damage.

Small adjustments that extend asset life provide outsized financial benefits.

Cultivating a Modern Workforce

Workforce modernization is also key through:

• Training programs to build digital and analytics proficiency.
• Change management initiatives to drive adoption of innovative technologies.
• Knowledge transfer programs to preserve existing expertise.
• Recruitment of workers skilled in modern technologies like data science.

An empowered, digitally enabled workforce is crucial for optimizing modernized assets.

The Path Towards Modernization

Wholesale infrastructure replacement is not the only option. Targeted, incremental upgrades enable cost-effective modernization while ensuring reliability.

Check out Agile Analytics by Integ Consulting to leverage data analytics across your generation portfolio. By taking a phased, high-value approach, power generators can cut costs while delivering reliable, affordable electricity.