Innergex
Innergex optimizes its hydroelectric operations with AVEVA
Innergex, a global renewable energy producer, operated a fleet of hydroelectric plants with limited visibility into facility performance. Multiple software vendors and versions coexisted across sites, communication with remote plants was unreliable and the source of performance drops was hard to pinpoint. To solve these issues, the company deployed AVEVA PI System, AVEVA Operations Control and AVEVA Insight to monitor all hydroelectric processes in real time. A tiered data architecture now ensures redundancy, integrity and accessibility of historical data for both analysis and reporting. Operators, engineers and managers work from headquarters as well as from the turbine floor. The benefits are clear: software system reliability has improved, operational visibility now extends across the entire company, and turbine availability has risen from 93.5% to 99.5%.
Testimonials
FAQ
How does AVEVA PI System improve hydroelectric turbine availability?
At Innergex, AVEVA PI System combined with AVEVA Operations Control and AVEVA Insight increased turbine availability from 93.5% to 99.5%. Real-time monitoring of hydroelectric processes makes it possible to detect anomalies early, identify the causes of performance drops and intervene before failure. For a renewable energy producer, these 6 extra points of availability translate directly into MWh sold and additional revenue without any hardware investment.
Why harmonize a heterogeneous multi-vendor software landscape?
Innergex operated a fleet with several software vendors and versions, making communication with remote plants unreliable and limiting operational visibility. AVEVA PI System harmonizes data collection regardless of the underlying systems, creating a unifying layer. This standardization is essential for a renewable energy producer operating a geographically distributed fleet: it enables centralized control, benchmarking between sites and the industrialization of best practices.
What is a hierarchical data architecture and why is it useful?
A hierarchical architecture organizes data by level (site, equipment, sensor) with guaranteed redundancy, integrity and accessibility. At Innergex, this AVEVA PI System structure makes it possible to archive historical data for analysis and reporting, while ensuring resilience to communication losses at remote sites. Operators, engineers and managers access the same contextualized data from headquarters or the turbine floor, a standard for data management in renewable energy.
How does AVEVA Insight complement AVEVA PI System for operational control?
AVEVA Insight adds cloud visualization and mobile access to the data collected by AVEVA PI System. At Innergex, this combination gives operators, engineers and managers a shared real-time view, whether they are at headquarters or in the field. It is a major lever for operational responsiveness: troubleshooting and optimization decisions are based on the same facts, which speeds up the resolution of events affecting the plants' industrial performance.
What business benefits does a renewable energy producer gain from real-time data?
Real-time data transforms the operation of a renewable fleet: Innergex strengthened the reliability of its software system, extended operational visibility across the company and increased turbine availability by 6 points. Each additional MWh produced thanks to AVEVA PI System translates into extra revenue without CAPEX. It is a fast-ROI model for hydro, wind or solar producers wishing to optimize an existing fleet before considering new developments.