Taking the Guesswork Out of Generation
Management
Today’s generation companies are faced with challenges more
daunting than ever.
With a goal of becoming successful world class competitors, the
unrelenting pressure to boost profits and plant efficiency is
continually at odds with the need to reduce risk and generation
cost.
Generation management systems (GMS) are mission critical tools
for asset managers with centralized or geographically distributed
facilities. These systems encompass:
- SCADA capabilities needed to coordinate the real-time operation
of power plants
- Key functionality required to provide and to implement
generation schedules
Critical functions managed by these systems include:
- Multi-area/multi-market generation control and dispatch
- Transaction scheduling
- Performance monitoring
- Real-time cost curve monitoring
- Load profiling
- Market operational interfaces to the transmission grid
Meeting the Needs of Today While Planning for the
Future
Generation companies seeking more effective ways to plan and
manage their assets, while keeping a watchful eye on future
expansion impacts turn to KEMA for help.
Whether your needs are standard or fast track, we can help you
evaluate and implement the generation management system that is
right for you.
We work with you to determine your specific needs relative to
functional needs such as:
- Historical archiving
- RTU and plant communication interfaces
- Cyber security
- Billing and settlement
We also can help you assess the impact of expansion on the
sizing of your generation management system.
With our thorough knowledge of the systems currently on the
market, KEMA helps you choose from among the most reliable vendors
in the industry, with a focus on the limitations and expansion
capabilities of these systems.
We also are closely involved with the definition and continual
monitoring of market rules.
This means that our generation and market design specialists
have extensive experience in the analysis of different software
protocols and market rules to determine:
- Special SCADA requirements
- Level of AGC implementation to be provided by the generation
company in comparison to ISOs
- Market interfaces to upload and download market information
such as generation bids, bilateral schedules, and billing and
settlement data
Solving the Market Interface Puzzle
Market interfaces are one of the most common issues that the
generation and trading companies are struggling with
today.
The information and communication systems and protocols of ISOs
and RTOs are usually different from each other. This can add to the
complexity of the issue when multi-market participation is
desired.
KEMA has thorough experience in dealing with the software
companies that are providing the interfaces. We have worked with
many generation companies to establishing their links with multiple
ISOs.
We have also assisted several markets establish their
communications and interface rules and systems, including:
- PJM
- NYISO
- ISONE
- ERCOT
- MWISO
- NWRTO
- Ontario Market
We also have a comprehensive database in the systems and
capabilities of all of the software and systems providers that can
be utilized for these kinds of assignments.
Some of the considerations in the market interface projects
are:
- Capability for all of the required data to be transferred
through the link including ancillary services
- Expandability of the selected solution in terms of number of
markets and number of points
- Maintenance and availability of the link
- Maximum use and utilization of existing systems at the
generation company and ISO
