Emerson Ovation to Support Lodestone Energy Solar PV Plants

Peter Apperley’s name Solar energy company Lodestone Energy has selected Emerson to provide advanced automation solutions for New Zealand’s first large-scale solar photovoltaic power project: a pair of 23 MW installations in Kaitaia and Edgecumbe.. Emerson’s automation architecture will combine control software and technologies with enterprise data solutions to create an integrated, scalable control solution to maximize output and profitability while simultaneously contributing to grid stability.. “Emerson’s expertise in automation software for power generation and sustainability will help us more quickly build a world-class facility, while also more seamlessly integrating with the national grid to drive successful, efficient operation over the lifecycle of the plant,” says Peter Apperley, general manager of engineering at Lodestone Energy.. Lodestone will take advantage of Emerson’s Ovation distributed control system and new OCR3000 controller to provide control to minimize the impact of variability and intermittency in solar PV power generation. The same advancements in technology will also allow operators to act quickly in order to address grid frequency occurrences. Ovation enterprise data solutions will give secure oversight of solar PV processes from the control room or mobile devices, quantifying, observing, and announcing key performance indicators to upgrade visibility of plant operations. Lodestone’s solar PV venture necessitates various connections to outsider frameworks, including inverters, high-voltage switchboards, climate stations, site security systems, and grid authority remote terminal units. Ovation will serve as a system to link together these gadgets and supply operators with quick and easy comprehension.