Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ZephyCloud-2 (Making Wind Energy More Profitable...Faster!)
Reporting period: 2019-07-01 to 2020-06-30
What is the problem/issue being addressed?
1 - Assessing the future performance of a wind farm
The average duration of a wind farm is 20 to 25 years. Being able to predict the long-term profitability of a wind farm project is essential for the players involved in the exploitation of the wind resource. The technical issue of wind resource assessment (WRA) has a direct impact on the commercial value and on the ability to convince project funders (public and private).
The siting areas for onshore wind power operations are very varied, making it very difficult to assess their profitability. Operations in the pre-commissioning phase represent about 5% of capital expenditure. It is therefore necessary to use computer solutions to perform wind simulations and forecasts, either by purchasing proprietary licenses or consulting services, both expensive; in addition to the lead times in weeks, the lack of reliability and accuracy of the results provided.
2 - Optimizing the operating performance of a wind farm by detecting the underperformance
In the post-commissioning phase, the challenge is to reach an energy production in line with forecasts, which will have to be systematically revised and corrected during the lifetime of the wind farm. These in-situ analyses must be led using expensive techniques and tools by experts. But the optimization measures make it possible to increase on average by 3% the annual production, which can be estimated at an increase in annual incomes of 3,150 €/MW installed. The capacity of onshore wind farms varies between <10 MW and 1000 MW, a foreseeable increase from 31 K€ to 3.1 M€. Optimizing the performance of a wind farm can extend the life of the turbines while reducing operating and maintenance costs.
Today, the market is very fragmented, with incomplete offers to meet the various issues of assessing the relevance of a wind farm project, as well as the evaluation during the operational phase, and IT solutions that do not address all potential customer segments (utilities, operators, finance, etc.).
• Why is it important for society?
With our innovative solutions, we hope to help the implementation of wind farms and their optimization to increase the supply of renewable energy for all at competitive and affordable prices, in order to reduce polluting energies and thus the effect of global warming on the planet.
• What are the overall objectives?
The overall objective of this Phase 2 is to accelerate the development of ZephyCloud-2 in order to become the reference platform in the wind power industry offering IT engineering solutions. Providing an integral and accurate solution for wind project analysis as well as optimization wind farm assets will help meeting the needs at every stage of project lifecycle not only in the pre-commissioning phase but also in the post-commissioning for wind power industry. Moreover, another crucial objective is to reduce time spent with on-premise calculations and simulations for tight project deadlines so we can help industries cutting off their operating costs.
The wind industry is demanding faster, more accurate and more transparent tools, offered at cost-effective pricing schemes such as those enabled by the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. Cloud computing engine implementation is providing unlimited on-demand computational power with high-quality results (faster and more accurate) at a very attractive price.
Moreover, we are developing open source numerical solvers with tools entirely auditable and transparent, since its numerical source code can be reviewed and improved by the open source community.
1 - Assessing the future performance of a wind farm
The average duration of a wind farm is 20 to 25 years. Being able to predict the long-term profitability of a wind farm project is essential for the players involved in the exploitation of the wind resource. The technical issue of wind resource assessment (WRA) has a direct impact on the commercial value and on the ability to convince project funders (public and private).
The siting areas for onshore wind power operations are very varied, making it very difficult to assess their profitability. Operations in the pre-commissioning phase represent about 5% of capital expenditure. It is therefore necessary to use computer solutions to perform wind simulations and forecasts, either by purchasing proprietary licenses or consulting services, both expensive; in addition to the lead times in weeks, the lack of reliability and accuracy of the results provided.
2 - Optimizing the operating performance of a wind farm by detecting the underperformance
In the post-commissioning phase, the challenge is to reach an energy production in line with forecasts, which will have to be systematically revised and corrected during the lifetime of the wind farm. These in-situ analyses must be led using expensive techniques and tools by experts. But the optimization measures make it possible to increase on average by 3% the annual production, which can be estimated at an increase in annual incomes of 3,150 €/MW installed. The capacity of onshore wind farms varies between <10 MW and 1000 MW, a foreseeable increase from 31 K€ to 3.1 M€. Optimizing the performance of a wind farm can extend the life of the turbines while reducing operating and maintenance costs.
Today, the market is very fragmented, with incomplete offers to meet the various issues of assessing the relevance of a wind farm project, as well as the evaluation during the operational phase, and IT solutions that do not address all potential customer segments (utilities, operators, finance, etc.).
• Why is it important for society?
With our innovative solutions, we hope to help the implementation of wind farms and their optimization to increase the supply of renewable energy for all at competitive and affordable prices, in order to reduce polluting energies and thus the effect of global warming on the planet.
• What are the overall objectives?
The overall objective of this Phase 2 is to accelerate the development of ZephyCloud-2 in order to become the reference platform in the wind power industry offering IT engineering solutions. Providing an integral and accurate solution for wind project analysis as well as optimization wind farm assets will help meeting the needs at every stage of project lifecycle not only in the pre-commissioning phase but also in the post-commissioning for wind power industry. Moreover, another crucial objective is to reduce time spent with on-premise calculations and simulations for tight project deadlines so we can help industries cutting off their operating costs.
The wind industry is demanding faster, more accurate and more transparent tools, offered at cost-effective pricing schemes such as those enabled by the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. Cloud computing engine implementation is providing unlimited on-demand computational power with high-quality results (faster and more accurate) at a very attractive price.
Moreover, we are developing open source numerical solvers with tools entirely auditable and transparent, since its numerical source code can be reviewed and improved by the open source community.
WP2 – DESIGN & WEB APP ALPHA RELEASE
The definition of the requirements specification and internal architecture of the ZephyAnalytics web application, and the architecture design of the overall ZephyCloud-2 plateform have been completed and delivered at the end of January. This task has been achieved jointly with Ateknea Solutions. (D 2.1 January 2018). A resubmission has been required in October.
The ZephyTOOLS web app alpha release has been delivered end of February (D 2.2 – February 2018)
WP3: ZEPHYCLOUD-2 WEB PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT
The works of this package are under development.
The deliverables D 3.1 ZephySanitize development and privacy improvements and D 3.2 the web platform integration of ZephyCloud-2 are delayed but should be completed in a few days.
WP4: OPENAPI and ZEPHYWFC DEVELOPMENT
The works of this package are under development.
The deliverable D 4.1 – development of open-API web components has been completed in June.
The tasks T 4.2 client web components and T 4.3 computing components of ZephyWFC are in progress.
WP5: DEVELOPMENT OF ZEPHYANALYTICS
This work package is developed by our subcontractor Ateknea Solutions.
The delivered of the task T 5.1 Data gathering components of ZephyAnalytics has been delayed but should be ready in November.
Consequently, the delivery of the task T 5.2 and T 5.3 are delayed but should be ready by the end of March 2019.
WP7: DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
This work package has been starting since the beginning of the project.
• Designing a New Website for all Verticals along with a Consolidated Portal (AZIUGO)
• Attending Wind Industry and Academic Events (China – India – Europe)
The business plan interim review and the dissemination activities report (1st year) have been delivered in September but resubmitted in October.
The definition of the requirements specification and internal architecture of the ZephyAnalytics web application, and the architecture design of the overall ZephyCloud-2 plateform have been completed and delivered at the end of January. This task has been achieved jointly with Ateknea Solutions. (D 2.1 January 2018). A resubmission has been required in October.
The ZephyTOOLS web app alpha release has been delivered end of February (D 2.2 – February 2018)
WP3: ZEPHYCLOUD-2 WEB PLATFORM DEVELOPMENT
The works of this package are under development.
The deliverables D 3.1 ZephySanitize development and privacy improvements and D 3.2 the web platform integration of ZephyCloud-2 are delayed but should be completed in a few days.
WP4: OPENAPI and ZEPHYWFC DEVELOPMENT
The works of this package are under development.
The deliverable D 4.1 – development of open-API web components has been completed in June.
The tasks T 4.2 client web components and T 4.3 computing components of ZephyWFC are in progress.
WP5: DEVELOPMENT OF ZEPHYANALYTICS
This work package is developed by our subcontractor Ateknea Solutions.
The delivered of the task T 5.1 Data gathering components of ZephyAnalytics has been delayed but should be ready in November.
Consequently, the delivery of the task T 5.2 and T 5.3 are delayed but should be ready by the end of March 2019.
WP7: DISSEMINATION AND EXPLOITATION
This work package has been starting since the beginning of the project.
• Designing a New Website for all Verticals along with a Consolidated Portal (AZIUGO)
• Attending Wind Industry and Academic Events (China – India – Europe)
The business plan interim review and the dissemination activities report (1st year) have been delivered in September but resubmitted in October.
The overall capacity of all wind turbines installed worldwide in 2017 reached 539,291 Megawatt with an annual growth rate of 10.8 %. 32% of the new installation capacity comes from the EU, which confirms an overall confidence in this sector to achieve the energy transition in the next years. 32% of the new installation capacity comes from the EU, which confirms an overall confidence in this sector to achieve the energy transition in the next years. But our market is not only European. The geographical positioning of our offices in France (Lasalle, Marseille), India (Hyderabad), China (Beijing and Nanjing) and our new office in Hamburg since October in Germany reinforce our ability to penetrate these markets, which totalize more than 70 % of the total global market in global cumulative capacity. The tremendous growth in total annual investment volume during the last four years illustrates investors’ trust and the dynamism of this industry. Moreover, the improvement of the wind turbine’s performance, the reduction of prices in a more mature industry has led to a decrease of O&M costs.
Consequently, the wind power has become one of the most affordable sources of energy (in particular for onshore sites) which is attracting higher investments for wind power projects.
In this promising market environment, and more directly, the impact of the commercialization of ZephyCloud-2 outputs is expected in the 2nd part of 2019.
We are obviously waiting for feedback on the first tests carried out by our clients, when they will run the new simulations and use the new features of ZephyTOOLS. It will only be at that moment that we will be able to measure the impact of ZephyCloud-2, but we are convinced that the results will be beyond our expectations. Even if we are still under development, we know the economic potential of our solutions. The expected impact is in our project’s claim: making wind energy more profitable, Faster!
Consequently, the wind power has become one of the most affordable sources of energy (in particular for onshore sites) which is attracting higher investments for wind power projects.
In this promising market environment, and more directly, the impact of the commercialization of ZephyCloud-2 outputs is expected in the 2nd part of 2019.
We are obviously waiting for feedback on the first tests carried out by our clients, when they will run the new simulations and use the new features of ZephyTOOLS. It will only be at that moment that we will be able to measure the impact of ZephyCloud-2, but we are convinced that the results will be beyond our expectations. Even if we are still under development, we know the economic potential of our solutions. The expected impact is in our project’s claim: making wind energy more profitable, Faster!