PCCA Journal|3
rd
Quarter 2015
20
Power News
Continued from page 19
pipeline construction and energy development.
• Voters overwhelmingly believe pipelines are the safest
means to transport natural gas.
• Voters support expanding offshore exploration, construct-
ing the Keystone XL Pipeline, and generating electricity via
coal-fired power plants.
In its latest poll, CEA found that a large majority of vot-
ers in Virginia (56 percent), West Virginia (70 percent), and
North Carolina (55 percent) support the construction of the
Atlantic Coast Pipeline. Across all three states, voters support
the project by more than 30 points. The poll also showed that
voters of all political affiliations support expanding offshore
exploration, constructing the Keystone XL pipeline, keeping
coal power plants operational, and expanding shale produc-
tion via hydraulic fracturing.
Results from the poll indicate that citizens in North Caroli-
na, West Virginia, and Virginia also support the development
of energy infrastructure, especially in regards to the Atlantic
Coast Pipeline. Voters pointed to a number of reasons for
their position on the pipeline, with jobs being mentioned
the most frequently (19 percent), followed by an anticipated
reduction in the price of natural gas (18 percent). The contri-
bution to U.S. energy independence and the general positive
impact the pipeline will have on the economy were also cited
as reasons for support.
“As the primary season approaches, presidential candidates
will need to take a strong stance on energy issues for the
2016 election,” CEA President David Holt said. “As we have
seen in the past, the success of candidates in 2016 will hinge
on their ability to promote issues that foster economic and
job growth while ensuring safety and the protection of our
environment. This can be achieved through the promotion of
energy infrastructure and production, which will contribute
to U.S. self-sufficiency, stimulate the economy, and create
jobs.”
GE Launches Digital Wind Farm
G
E announced in May the
launch of its Digital Wind
Farm, a dynamic, con-
nected, and adaptable wind
energy ecosystem that pairs world-class
turbines with the digital infrastructure
for the wind industry. The technology
boosts a wind farm’s energy produc-
tion by up to 20 percent and could help
generate up to an estimated $50 billion
of value for the wind industry.
The Digital Wind Farm uses intercon-
nected digital technology—often referred
to as the Industrial Internet—to address
a long-standing need for greater flexibil-
ity in renewable power. The technology
will help integrate renewable power into
the existing power grid more effectively.
“Every business, including our own at
GE, and every industry is being trans-
formed by smarter digital technologies,
and the greatest opportunity lies in ener-
gy,” said Steve Bolze, president and CEO
of GE Power & Water. “The question is
not whether to start down this path...
it’s about knowing how to get the most
out of your digital transformation. That’s
what will separate industry leaders from
those left behind.”
The Digital Wind Farm ecosystem be-
gins with the production of the turbines
themselves. With the next generation
of Brilliant wind turbines, GE’s new
2-megawatt platform utilizes a digital
twin modeling system to build up to 20
different turbine configurations at every
unique pad location across a wind farm
to generate power at peak efficiency
based on the surrounding environment.
Additionally, each turbine will be con-
nected to advanced networks that can
analyze turbine operations in real time
and make adjustments to boost operat-
ing efficiencies.
Once the turbines are built, their
embedded sensors are connected and the
data gathered from them are analyzed
in real time with GE’s Predix software,
which allows operators to monitor
performance from data across turbines,
farms, or even entire industry fleets. The
data provide information on tempera-
ture, turbine misalignments, or vibra-
tions that can affect performance.
As more data are collected, the system
actually learns over time, becoming
more predictive and “future-proofing”
wind farms by maintaining top perfor-
mance and avoiding the maintenance
issues that typically occur as turbines
age. It also reduces costs by customizing
maintenance schedules to ensure that
preventive maintenance is done only
when needed.
“Big data is worthless without the
insight to take action, and our vision
for the industry is to use today’s data
to predict tomorrow’s outcomes,” Bolze
said. “By harnessing the full power of
the Industrial Internet, we can create a
world where wind farms learn, adapt,
and perform better tomorrow than they
do today.”