Maximising Reliability and Performance
Commercial testing services ensure that renewable developers can maximise the reliability and performance of their AGCS. AGCS components, including power quality meters (PQM) and power plant controllers (PPC), should be subjected to rigorous testing in an EMT-domain simulated environment using Hypersim. By identifying and resolving potential issues, we can optimise system parameters, ensuring optimal operation and minimising the risk of downtime or underperformance. This approach helps to ensure that projects can achieve timely energy production milestones, and therefore improved profitability.
Mitigating Risks and Ensuring Compliance
By prioritising NER Schedule 5 compliance and risk mitigation, and applying EPEC’s experience across the connection lifecycle, we ensure that commonly encountered compliance testing problems are addressed during HIL testing before site commissioning begins. Our commercial testing services thoroughly evaluate the AGCS, ensuring compatibility and compliance with both the proposed Generator Performance Standard, and Commissioning Management Plan. By identifying and addressing potential issues proactively, we significantly reduce the likelihood of costly delays, penalties, and regulatory setbacks during the commissioning and hold point testing process. Our project lifecycle and renewable project expertise helps you gain a competitive advantage, not only through speed to market but through reputation as a responsible compliant energy provider.
Streamlining Commissioning, Compliance, and Integration
EPEC’s commercial testing services work hard to streamline the commissioning process and facilitate seamless integration of your generator with the utility grid. With access to EPEC’s team of power system engineers, our experienced compliance testing team can comprehensively test and assess your generator before full commercial operation, identifying and resolving potential integration challenges, ensuring a smooth transition. Comprehensive HIL processes aligned with project testing plans save valuable time and resources, expediting the commissioning phase and accelerating your project’s commercialisation. Our goal is to ensure you realise returns on investment more quickly by minimising churn during compliance testing.
Empowering On-Site Engineers
AGCS functionality and performance characteristics require expertise to optimise performance. EPEC’s team acquire these valuable insights through empowering our on-site engineers with a standardised testing framework. Through hands-on involvement in the testing process, engineers learn to make timely and informed decisions that will optimise on-site performance and guarantee efficient operations during deployment.
Enhancing Confidence
By validating your system’s performance, through using quality commercial testing of AGCS you can provide assurance to investors, network operators, and end-users that your renewables project will deliver as promised. This enhanced customer confidence will translate into stronger partnerships, increased investment opportunities, and improved long-term viability for your projects.
For renewable developers and established generators, comprehensive commercial testing for aggregated generation control systems brings greatest confidence to compliance with Schedule 5 of the National Electricity Rules. EPEC’s knowledge of the regulatory environment and technical expertise in renewable projects means we can deliver on our promise of certainty in delivery. Our commitment to mitigating risks and ensuring compliance through comprehensive hardware in the loop (HIL) testing services enables the streamlining of our processes. This in turn ensures successful AGCS deployments, significantly improving speed to full commercial operation for our generation customers.
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This article was published in T&D Magazine Issue 3 2023. For support on mitigating risks and ensuring compliance for your renewable project don’t hesitate to contact us: sales@epecgroup.com.au