The wind industry currently finds itself in the midst of a digital transformation. Even though, big data, smart computing, and artificial intelligence have already been embraced by the industry in recent years, the rapid growth and sudden emergence of COVID-19 has increased the need for a strategy to maximise digitalisation initiatives.
However, for driving digitalisation in such a competitive industry as wind, with increasingly high numbers of complex project scenarios, strategic software usage requires more than just the provision of necessary digital tools and applications.
As highlighted by ONYX Insight’s report for smart digitalisation in renewables, digitalisation can have a significant negative impact, bringing costs and downsides when applied ineffectively. The report outlines three major obstacles for digital transformation in renewable energy:
- Data collection with no clear strategy
- Over-reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML)
- Failure to recognise multiple data streams
Integrated enterprise asset management software empowers users and provides opportunity
Most software tools offer swift and quick integration, aim to relieve users of certain pains, and solve complex challenges. But it’s important to understand that a software doesn’t provide value in itself – the software’s success is heavily dependent on its user’s capability to extract potential business value.
By looking at the challenges listed above by the ONYX report, the lack of structured and strategic data management is a key issue for organisations in renewable energy. This is not only due to the volume of data streams required, but also applying strategic usage to accurately track, monitor and predict performance and assets.
For Shoreline Wind users, integrating multiple data streams into an adaptive digital infrastructure has been a key enabler for many users. Project operators and developers have discovered, the great upside in implementing an advanced integrated enterprise asset management system to reduce costs for O&M and construction.
Once your data library is gathered and collected to include comprehensive information on WTGs, BOP, vessels, ports, personnel and integrated with weather forecast, you empower users to leverage this data by effectively monitoring and identifying potential asset downtime, related costs while optimizing availability at lowest possible cost.
Create strategic data context for successful user adoption in renewable wind energy
Although integrating an asset management platform will bring you a long way towards reducing costs for O&M and construction, it will not digitally transform your operations.
By combining a comprehensive data library and API connected external data with an Intelligent algorithm for agent-based modelling, your platform instantly supports a clear-cut strategy to drive optimisation. This applies for both Design™ and Execution™, as both platforms are based on simulation technology that allows a greater understanding and usage of data.
With regards to user adoption vs. over-reliance on AI and ML, strategic context is everything. Even though, many renewable energy enterprises are still falling short of adopting innovative asset and data management software, understanding the industry-specific context for the user or company will be key to driving user adoption going forward.
For instance, Shoreline Wind’s Schedule Optimisation for simulating optimised maintenance execution and field service planning, is based on its search for the optimal strategy – But in terms of what? Should the data report output be telling the story about resource availability? Or should it be focused solely on generating insights into how we can reduce costs and downtime? To drive successful user-adoption, individual users must always be closely aligned with the gained business benefits.
It’s for this reason that Shoreline’s framework is synonymous with customer service, as customer success and support are closely connected when operating with Shoreline Wind solutions. Our belief is that our simulation technology will be an essential tool for all global wind enterprises going forward. We also believe that every data application used for complex O&M and construction projects will require a combination of deep industry knowledge and intelligent software platforms.
