As the global energy sector faces increasing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, the transition to a future powered by renewable energy has become more crucial than ever. Whilst the rapid build out of renewable energy capacity is key, it is important to ensure that all projects, new and existing, maximise their energy output and integrate effectively into the energy system.
The power of data
At the heart of the digital revolution must be data… to harness it, understand it, prioritise it and transform it into action. By doing so, the performance of renewable energy assets can be optimised – ensuring efficiency, reliability and cost-effectiveness over the long term, and bringing more low-cost energy generation to consumers.
There are many ways data from renewables assets is being used to improve energy yields and reduce costs of renewable energy projects. Sensors embedded in wind turbines and solar panels collect vast amounts of data on environmental conditions, operational status and energy production, enabling real-time performance monitoring. This data can be analysed to detect potential issues and create predictive maintenance schedules, avoiding costly breakdowns, thereby reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Meteorological data can be analysed alongside operational data to optimise asset performance, adjusting configurations in real-time to boost operational efficiency.
Case study: a virtual turbine
A wind farm in Scotland recently harnessed the power of data to safely optimise its settings and generate more renewable energy. By installing specialised hardware components designed to optimise the aerodynamic efficiency of wind turbines, performance can be enhanced. Combining this with software that derives the optimum settings for a turbine based on these new installations, the energy yield of a wind farm can be increased. In this case, the additional energy production resulting from harnessing and understanding all the data from the wind farm was in excess of 5% – which is the equivalent generation of creating another ‘virtual’ turbine at the wind farm.
With wind farm planning and construction usually taking several years to complete, this digital solution delivers additional power with relative ease, making a real impact in the sector.
The path forward: scaling up
Whilst technological advancements are already yielding substantial benefits, continued digital transformation brings even greater potential. As the energy transition accelerates, the integration of more sophisticated digital systems will be essential to scale renewable energy production effectively and create a smart, resilient grid network.
The continued development of hardware, such as advanced turbine blades, combined with digital monitoring, predictive analytics, and AI-powered optimisation, will lead to more productive energy solutions. As these technologies evolve, they will help pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient energy future, with digital solutions at the forefront of the next wave of innovation in the energy sector.
*the views expressed are the author’s and not ICAEW’s
