Grid Integration of Renewables
GRIDConnect’s AI and Weather Forecasting based models serve 1,348 clients (representing 1,760 renewable energy projects) of wind and solar asset owners totalling 16,413 MW installed capacity in India. The models are designed to provide high accuracy renewable forecasts for different time horizons. The GRIDConnect stack is also deployed and operational at 11 TSOs through dedicated Renewable Energy Management Centres (REMCs) in India including the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC).
Cloud NowCasting for Grid Operations
Nowcasting of cloud movements in order to reduce uncertainties in grid operations is performed on the GRIDConnect platform at high frequency intervals for horizons of 15 minutes ahead to 120 minutes ahead. Cloud NowCasting through remote sensing is done by using satellite observations of cloud patterns and their movement for every 15 minutes. Multiple Deep Learning models are trained on the cloud movement data covering the areas and periods of interest in order to capture the location and season specific patterns.
Process Automation for Grid Operations
Efficient and scalable grid operations such as dispatch automation, automated energy accounting, real-time decision support and financial settlement are enabled through GRIDConnect which embeds a deep domain knowledge within the platform. The platform solution is supported by a team highly specialised in power systems and power markets. GRIDConnect (Energy Dispatch Automation – ENDISA) has enabled 10 TSOs through 12 different projects enabling large scale process automation in grid operations management.
Underwriting Imbalance costs for Renewables
Imbalance costs represent a significant cost element for RE asset owners, ranging from 2.5 – 5 paise/kwh. GRIDConnect combines access to a large proprietary datasets and AI prediction models to offer competitive fixed cost services to generators while undertaking all deviation/imbalance liabilities.
Weather Forensics for Asset Insurance Claims
High value assets which are exposed to the atmosphere are subject to risk from extreme weather events. The risk is mitigated in some cases through insurance against extreme weather. In certain cases where the assets are located in remote areas and the extreme weather phenomenon they are subjected to are not large scale events, it is required to provide evidence of damage to the assets due to weather but observational data may be lacking. GRIDConnect enabled Weather Forensics simulates weather patterns at very high spatial and temporal resolutions for specific locations of interest. These simulations repeated for several conditions provide a scientifically rigorous way of providing evidence of extreme weather events.
Data and Decision Support for Renewables
Benchmarking of operational projects to enable better performance is an emerging practice among asset owners. REConnect’s proprietary datasets, which comprise operational data of thousands of MW of renewable energy capacity over several years, enables querying and analysis to provide actual generation data in an anonymised and aggregated form to RE investors and project operators to make crucial project development or operational decisions.
Asset Risk Monitoring through Remote Sensing and Weather Analytics
Physical assets and resources exposed to the atmosphere and hydrosphere are at increasing risk from weather phenomena which may cause damage or impact operations. The risk monitoring solution integrates weather predictions along with remote sensing images of the assets/resources to first forecast potential extreme weather events that may impact the asset/resource such that there is preparedness for the event. Further, the remote sensing images add a layer allowing for identification of the impact of an actualized extreme weather event through comparisons between pre-event and post-event images. It allows for remote assessment and detection of changes in asset/resource status as well as quantifying impacts of the change without the need for on ground presence in several cases.
IoT based Telemetry for Renewables
Capturing high quality real-time data from RE Generation assets is critical for accurate forecasting and scheduling, monitoring assets to ensure optimal operations and for TSOs to operate the grid. GRIDBox enables acquisition and analysis of high-quality real time data from Renewable Assets through a combination of its bespoke IoT nodes and software application built to seamlessly integrate with energy meters of most meter manufacturers in India. Allowing assets that are located in remote areas where installing traditional communications infrastructure is a cost intensive exercise. GRIDBox has currently enabled telemetry over 11,000MW of renewable energy assets across India.
IoT based telemetry for Transmission and Distribution
GRIDBox enables IoT based plug-and-play telemetry nodes as ‘GRIDBox-4G’ to carry out high resolution data telemetry using 4G technology for residential, commercial, industrial and grid interfacing meters. This serves as a low cost alternative to meter replacement through converting existing electronic meters to smart meters without infrastructure replacement.
Renewable Energy Certificates
The renewable energy certificates (‘REC’) are tradable certificates issued to eligible renewable energy generators. RECs are traded on power exchanges and purchased by those entities that are mandated by regulation to consume a certain percentage of power from renewable energy (‘RE’) sources.
International Renewable Energy Certificates
The international renewable energy certificates are similar in concept to RECs. They are traded internationally in a voluntary market, and are primarily purchased by companies that intend to increase their renewable energy consumption and reduce their overall carbon emissions.
Energy Saving Certificates
The energy efficiency certificates (‘ESCerts’) are tradable certificates issued to those entities that exceed the targeted energy efficiency benchmarks. ESCerts are traded on the power exchanges. The entire scheme is managed under the Perform, Achieve, Trade (‘PAT’) mechanism administered by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency, which is a part of the Ministry of Power.