K2M launches new asset management system in collaboration with Emerson

Renewables specialists join forces to provide independent power producers with digitalised operations and maintenance support as O&M costs balloon for mature projects.

K2 Management has collaborated with Emerson’s business Mita-Teknik, a leader in the control automation business for wind power generation, to launch ‘P50 Booster’, a tool aimed at helping wind and solar project owners and operators enhance operations and maintenance strategies.

The solution, which is based on Emerson’s multi-brand renewable SCADA system, supports over 750 different turbine types, and provides analytical, predictive maintenance and forecasting tools to effectively optimize the performance of wind and solar farms.

As aging wind turbine fleets begin to add cost pressures - driven by the need to repair and replace equipment - wind farm owners and operators are in urgent need of programmes and technical support to help reduce the burden of rising OPEX. With turbine repair costs reaching 20% of all operations and maintenance investment worldwide over the decade, solutions that provide project owners with clarity on when to budget for maintenance, alongside opportunities to incrementally increase project revenues, are in high demand.

The new system, which when paired with K2M’s in-house engineering expertise can further optimise asset performance, is already being used on a 50MW+ onshore wind project on the US west coast.

K2M’s experts monitor turbine performance data on a monthly basis, report the findings and propose solutions to issues as they arise.

“Many of our clients are facing a perfect storm of wind projects with legacy equipment, which requires greater investment in maintenance as the turbine assets age,’ said Niels Bitsch, Senior Consultant, Asset Management at K2 Management.

“Data monitoring, forecasting and predictive maintenance is going to play an increasingly pivotal role in ensuring owners and operators maximise revenues and turbine uptime to deliver the very best returns on investment. Digital tools that offer flexibility and customisable dashboards, as P50 Booster does, will provide the best and most cost-efficient solution for our clients as they navigate the market, seeking to optimise operations and increase profitability.

“When coupled with our existing suite of expertise, P50 Booster will enable us to deliver even greater value to clients. We don’t just hand the client a report and leave it to them to fix any issues. We have in-house engineering specialists who propose real fixes – which leads to genuine optimisation, reduced down-time and more cost-effective operations for wind and solar projects all over the world.”

Jens B. Jensen, leader of Mita-Teknik’s digital solutions at Emerson said: “Cooperating with K2 Management in the field of renewable asset management is a significant opportunity for both businesses. We provide K2M’s clients with the latest digitisation software and technology to provide real granularity on project performance, while truly leveraging this intelligence with decades of operational wind farm knowledge and experience from K2M.”