The energy landscape is changing rapidly, making it essential to embrace digitalisation. This is a significant shift in how the world approaches energy generation, distribution, and consumption, which is revolutionising the way power transformers are used.
In this blog, we will explore the necessary infrastructure and technologies to collect vast amounts of data from physical assets and systems.
Understanding the 3 D’s Decarbonisation, Decentralisation, and Digitalisation
The global energy system is undergoing a transformation driven by three critical elements known as the three Ds of the energy transition – decarbonisation, decentralisation, and digitalisation. These three elements are key in shaping the future of the energy sector.
Let’s explore these elements in a bit more detail.
Decarbonisation
The process of decarbonisation involves the reduction or elimination of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gas emissions from the energy sector. This includes transitioning away from fossil fuels and increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources.
Decentralisation
The concept of decentralisation involves moving away from centralised energy production and distribution methods, which typically rely on large power plants to generate power and transmission lines to transport it over long distances to end-users. The goal instead is to create a more distributed energy system, where energy is generated on a smaller scale and closer to the point of consumption.
Digitalisation
The digital transformation of the energy sector, also known as digitalisation, involves using digital technologies, data analytics, and advanced communication systems to optimise energy generation, distribution, and consumption. Digitalisation encompasses technological advancements such as smart grids, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data analytics. By digitalising, energy use can be optimised, grid reliability improved, and renewable energy integrated.
Harnessing the Power of Digitalisation and Digital Twin for Power Transformers
Digitalisation offers real-time monitoring of transformers through sensors that collect data on various parameters such as temperature, load level, and vibrations. This constant stream of data allows for early detection of potential issues, enabling timely maintenance and preventing costly failures. But it doesn’t stop there. Digital twins take things a step further by creating virtual replicas of transformers. These digital twins simulate different operating scenarios, predict future behaviour, and even evaluate the impact of operational changes without affecting the physical transformer.
Enhancing Grid Resilience through Predictive Analytics
In addition to real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance, digitalisation also enables the use of predictive analytics to enhance grid resilience. By analysing historical data and trends, predictive analytics can anticipate potential issues before they occur, allowing for proactive measures to be taken. This proactive approach not only minimises downtime but also improves overall grid reliability, ensuring a more stable and efficient energy supply for consumers.
Challenges and Opportunities in Implementing Digitalisation
Potential disruptions in the supply chain, the need to comply with regulatory standards, and the importance of implementing robust cybersecurity measures are a few of the challenges faced while moving towards digitalisation.
A great example of digitising power transformers is I-TEMS (Integrated Transformer Electrical Monitoring System) by Universal Power Transformers (UPT). I-TEMS is an IoT-enabled cloud-based system that helps monitor transformer health and energy consumption. It offers real-time remote monitoring and onsite correction services for efficient transformer management.
Key Advantages of I-TEMS
Increased asset reliability and uptime with:
- Comprehensive asset registration, including installation date, maintenance history, and spares consumption
- Implementation of condition-based maintenance and predictive analytics
- Alerts and alarms for various issues such as unbalanced voltage, current, overload, low power factor, high harmonics, high oil temperature, oil level, and low voltage
- Monitoring of preventive maintenance schedule status
- Benchmarking and recommendations for optimisation
Decreased energy costs with:
- Analysis of load pattern trends and analytics for different time zones
- Conducting loss analysis, including power factor, harmonics, and comparison of planned versus actual losses
- Monitoring consumption trends per unit of production
- Generation of management reports with actionable insights on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis
- Alarms and alert notifications for threshold values of consumption and losses
- Benchmarking and recommendations for energy efficiency improvements
Collaborating with an energy solution provider such as UPT (Universal Power Transformer) offers viable solutions to address several issues. Through such partnerships, the groundwork for a more resilient and sustainable energy landscape benefits all stakeholders involved.
Embracing the Future of Energy
As the energy sector undergoes a significant shift towards digitalisation, it brings forth a unique set of challenges that must be tackled with utmost care. The integration of real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance technologies is revolutionising how the industry operates. By understanding the importance of the three Ds approach and employing customised and modular automation technology, UPT aims to advance the industry through the digitisation of existing transformers.
