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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.”