University of Queensland knowledge sharing workshop: Development of a Pre-commissioning Platform for Renewable Generators
EPEC, in collaboration with The University of Queensland (UQ), ARENA, AEMO and industry partners, hosted an industry knowledge-sharing workshop on Tuesday February 13.
The day included a presentation, lab tour, and luncheon to share updates and the latest research and advancements on the ARENA Project: Development of a Pre-commissioning Platform for Renewable Generators.
Dr. Richard Yan and Mark Parker presented to a diverse audience including asset owners, developers, regulators, industry professionals, and students.
The latest research and advancements
Through testing and validation of the control system before the commissioning and compliance testing (R2) phase, the research team have laid the foundation for more efficient, reliable, and cost-effective method of derisking the delivery of large-scale renewable projects.
- Through a variety of case studies Yan demonstrated the platform’s capability to identify insights into causes of mismatch such as active power overshoots following frequency events, facilitating early diagnosis and troubleshooting before the R2 stage commences.
- The platform facilitates adjustments in the software interface and control parameters prior to commissioning.
- The platform offers rapid prototyping opportunities and aligns with ARENA’s objective of demonstrating pre-commissioning best practices.
Mark shared the practical and commercial benefits of the platform, advocating for its use as a pre-commissioning process in project delivery to mitigate operational risks.
“The platform helps you identify issues and trouble shoot quickly in a test environment without risk, prior to operations. It is far too late once in operation.” – Mark Parker
“There are costs involved, not only equipment but the resources to run the tests, however the additional cost is quickly recouped by getting to market quicker with less risk. It is a journey the industry needs to follow – especially to maintain the speed required to meet energy transition targets.”
Mark Parker, Technical Director and Founder at EPEC Group
Collaborative research
Mark Parker reinforced that continued collaboration and commercialisation efforts are essential to drive adoption and maximise the platform’s impact on Australia’s energy transition journey.
“There are costs involved, not only equipment but the resources to run the tests, however the additional cost is quickly recouped by getting to market quicker with less risk. It is a journey the industry needs to follow – especially to maintain the speed required to meet energy transition targets.” – Mark Parker
Collaborative research is critical in derisking and accelerating solar connections to meet energy transition targets.
- Utilisation of UQ’s lab environment enabled rigorous test case studies, addressing historical software and hardware mismatches in solar connections.
- Collaboration with UQ involved testing hardware and software mismatches across a variety of Aggregated Generator Control Systems (AGCS) to prove viability and adaptability.
- UQ truly supports commercialisation, with Dr. Yan providing academic rigor to EPEC’s focus on bringing innovations to market.
The session presented a transformative approach to pre-commissioning, offering significant value to industry stakeholders by reducing operational risks and time to market.
Learn more about University of Queensland Platform for Solar Farm Pre-Commissioning.
Contact Neville Silvester via email neville.silvester@epecgroup.com.au today for more information.