The Control of
Electricity Generation Plants
Past, Present and Future
The control of power generation plants is undergoing rapid evolution alongside the dynamic changes in the electricity and IT sectors. Traditional generation technologies are transitioning to renewable energy sources, resulting in significant shifts to the function, purpose, design standards, and users of control systems.
The Past
The conventional approach relied on a centralized system called the Distributed Control System (DCS), which concentrated all operational logic. The control room within the plant served as the central hub for operations.
Despite DCS systems are being replaced by more modern and user-friendly systems, they are still used in conventional thermal generation plants. However, they have had to evolve to meet changing customer needs, especially in terms of cybersecurity and connectivity.
The Change
The shift in power generation plant automation is driven by two key factors: the rise of renewable energy projects with simpler processes and easier control, such as photovoltaic and wind technologies, and the digitalization of control systems, with traditional operators increasingly embracing essential concepts from the renewable energy sector.
With the advent of modern SCADA systems, power plant control systems are evolving into asset management systems, where automatic control is just one of several available functionalities and holds less prominence.
The Future
Wind offshore technology is rapidly advancing and will play a significant role in decarbonization and the energy transition. The control systems strategy used in wind offshore plants will be crucial for the automation sector’s development. Cloud technology will shape the future of monitoring and control systems.
However, there are challenges to overcome, such as global cybersecurity adoption, effective cybersecurity policies, unmanned plant standardization, collaborative environments, and cloud-based data standardization.
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Past, Present and Future of the Control of Electricity Generation Plants
