Sefa KELES - Director of Software Engineering, PowerKonnekt EMS / SolarToday

When we first noticed that we are

warming the planet with our um gas

emissions, it was obvious that we have

to solve this problem by using renewable

generation plants. And we solved that

problem by installing and commissioning

so many PV plants and so many wind

plants, so many renewable generation

plants uh in general. And after that uh

it became obvious to us that because of

the unbalanced nature of those renewable

generation plants we now have another

problem. We have to stabilize the grid

because it's unstable if you put so much

renewable generation plants into it.

And we solved that problem as well by

inventing energy storage systems. And

right now we have another problem by the

inclusion of energy storage systems to

our grids. We have to utilize those

energy storage systems efficiently by

using uh highly automatic, highly

advanced energy management systems.

That's why we invented another system

called EMS. Of course, we had other

systems called EMS before, but they were

just measuring how much energy we were

consuming and how much energy we were

losing. But right now, uh we have a

different EMS system which is capable of

monitoring and controlling multiple

equipments all at once. And it's not

just controlling and monitoring energy

storage systems only. Obviously they are

integrated with our PV plants, our wind

generation plants, wind turbines, even

generators, loads, um UPS's if we have

those. So it's capable of integrating

with so many different systems so that

it can maximize the utilization capacity

that we have. And in order to do that,

of course, we're we're going to require

super advanced algorithms, super

advanced software, and powerful hardware

as well. Up to now, we were controlling

our plants by using PLC's and SCADA

systems, and we are all used to those

systems. But right now we are talking

about much more advanced systems and

we're going to require those systems

eventually

to benefits from our energy storage

systems and in order to do that we're

going to require powerful industrial PCs

uh working in collaboration with PLC's

and SCADA systems of course but right

now we are talking about collecting so

much data including cell level voltages

and temperatures as well so that we can

keep control of the capacity warranties

that today's manufacturers are providing

to their customers. In order to do that,

again, we need powerful EMS systems. And

those EMS systems by in interfacing with

so many different systems have to

automatically utilize our energy storage

systems by automatically trading on them

by automatically um storing energy

inside batteries and using that energy

whenever we require them. So in order to

do that automatically we need advanced

algorithms and those algorithms are

combined as energy management systems

today.

Um and as an energy management system

manufacturer we are making sure we are

taking those systems one step forward

forward uh by taking

the expertise that we have had in

scattera systems up until now

>> in terms of uh maximizing the efficiency

on in the operation of a park. Can you

point out some key features that uh your

EMS system can um can provide?

>> Sure. By maximizing efficiency, I mean

in terms of everything starting from

interfacing with devices uh because

right now you know we are using

industrial communication protocols

mostly standard industrial communication

protocols to communicate with systems

but those systems are generating so much

data right now. So some of the regular

communication systems are by nature for

example modas by nature is inefficient.

So you need better algorithms and better

hardware systems so that you can

interface with multiple systems

simultaneously and collect so many data

from those systems in real almost real

time let's say so that you can make

proper decisions and then execute those

decisions efficiently. Otherwise, let's

assume you read a power value from an

energy alizer at point t and then after

10 seconds you were able to execute the

command so that you can discharge

batteries but in 10 seconds so many

things change in energy world. So you

have to be fast and efficient in terms

of starting with communication and then

of course your decision- making

algorithms should also be efficient so

that they have to be capable of

collecting so many data from different

sources including scattera systems, wind

plants, PV plants even if you have

generators and UPS's and different types

of loads for example you have to collect

so many data you have to make efficient

decisions in real almost real time let's

say and then you have to execute uh

commands depending on those decisions.

That's why EMS systems have to be highly

efficient and in if you do that if

you're capable of doing that then you

will utilize all your systems

efficiently. Of course

>> what would be the um most common

challenges that you can find day-to-day

in a in the operation of a large scale

project.

>> Good question. Good question. Thank you.

So as I mentioned earlier uh in EMS

systems

um different from our regular SCADA

systems there are so many different data

points that you have to rely on and you

cannot skip those data because you have

to store those data in long term so that

you can you know um use that data in

future warranty claims for example. So

it's important to store so many data so

fast without losing it. This is one of

the biggest challenges that you're going

to have and we also have those

challenges and we are solving those

problems with um highly advanced

technology in today's uh commissioning

uh today the systems that we commission

today. uh the biggest problem is the

volume of data that you are going to

collect and store in real time and you

have to do it in high resolution so that

you can prove you didn't use the

batteries in a wrong way for example you

didn't use the batteries five cycle a

day let's say so in order to prove that

you have to collect so many data in high

volume that's the biggest challenge I

That's the biggest and most uh

challenging thing I guess in today's

world.

>> Do you consider now the EMS systems

become a more central focus in in the

operation of of uh EV plants for

example?

>> Come again please.

>> If if the EMS systems they become

increasingly important in the whole

operation in the whole ecosystem of of

of a of a project.

>> Yes. Yes. Yes. It's actually beside most

of the systems that we commission today

requires us to put cicada aside and be

the main controller. So our EMS and most

of the EMS's on the market today has to

uh take control of the whole plant when

it is commissioned on site. Before EMS

comes on site there was a scattera

system and that system was controlling

so many things. But after the EMS comes,

uh things change because at least a

battery is involved in the um equation

right now and no SCA system can of

course control batteries right now. So

EMS controls batteries, EMS controls the

plant uh and EMS integrates that plant

also with the grid operator systems.

And

of course in today's world you as a

customer or user or um

uh

user let's say you have to monitor and

control all of your assets from a single

location so that you can benefit and

utilize most of them uh all at once if

required. In order to do that, you're

going to need a central EMS, for

example, which if it's possible, which

runs on cloud so that it can control and

monitor multiple assets, multiple plants

uh all at once. And as a user, if you

want, you can use those systems as a

single plant as you already know for

virtual power plants applications for

example, you can use all those plants as

a single plant again. And you can do

aggregation applications as well. So EMS

stays u at the heart of everything in

today's world. So it will basically

uh be in our houses. It's already

actually in our houses. It's in our

offices. It's in our hospitals. It's in

our um malls. It's in our plants. Uh so

it's already everywhere. And um today

by by the inclusion of cloud-based

software as well, we are capable of um

combining all of those systems to a

single location and benefit from them uh

much more and generate much more value

from them of course and that's possible

by the inclusion of EMS as well. Yeah.

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