Revolutionizing Wind Energy Management: How Unatec Helped Iberdrola Cut Penalties and Boost Efficiency

Faced with mounting penalties due to limited energy control, Spanish energy leader Iberdrola turned to Unatec for a cutting-edge solution. In just six weeks, Unatec deployed the Energy-SEOS platform, enabling Iberdrola to mitigate reactive energy penalties more efficiently.

In wind farms, energy production can create both active (usable, real) and reactive (non-usable) energy. Reactive energy doesn’t contribute to actual power delivery, but it still occupies space in the transmission system, straining grid stability.

Network operators typically set specific reactive energy thresholds, and if producers exceed these limits, they incur penalties. These penalties act as a financial incentive to ensure energy production is as efficient as possible.

For Iberdrola, managing reactive energy efficiently was critical to avoiding these penalties, but their system faced challenges in providing up-to-date and aggregated information. They relied on basic SCADA systems and basic alert mechanisms, providing only isolated, low-level data on individual wind turbines, not the whole wind farm output.

The Unatec Solution

Unatec CEO Raúl Gil García explained that Unatec’s goal was to go beyond just identifying issues. “We wanted to give operators the tools they needed to act before penalties could pile up,” he said. “Our solution, called Energy-SEOS, provides an upgraded level of control.”

Unatec took up the challenge of building a solution that not only reduced penalties but also improved the companies' ability to forecast and control energy production. Energy-SEOS was custom-developed to blend Unatec’s industry expertise with innovative solutions for data aggregation and forecasting. It integrates both predictive and corrective controls:

• Proactive Penalty Management via Reactive Energy Control: Energy-SEOS continuously monitors each plant's reactive energy production. Alerts are triggered if energy production falls outside acceptable ranges the network operator sets, allowing operators to correct issues before penalties become excessive. This solution can enable the operator to take action to reduce penalties by up to 50%.
• Accurate Production Forecasting: Energy-SEOS pulls in weather data from external providers, combining it with current plant status and allowing operators to adjust asset availability manually. This real-time data is then used to forecast production more accurately, helping the companies avoid market imbalances and maximize profitability.
• Comprehensive Maintenance Module: With Energy-SEOS, Unatec introduced a robust maintenance management system to support both preemptive and corrective maintenance needs.

Energy-SEOS collects data from Iberdrola's corporate IT systems, consolidating information from 200 plants into a single comprehensive file every 24 hours. This aggregated data provides a clear overview of plant performance, allowing the system to identify problematic plants that may require additional attention. When an issue is detected, these plants are placed under special monitoring, with data updates increasing to every 15 minutes for more precise oversight.

“Our solution focuses on what really matters—the energy output at the grid connection point,” said Gil García. “By aggregating data across all wind farms, we give operators the insights they need to take proactive action without being overwhelmed by low-level details.”

Unatec’s Energy-SEOS also enhances operational efficiency by delivering custom alerts tailored to specific thresholds, ensuring timely responses to potential issues before they escalate into costly penalties. These alerts are integrated across various communication channels, including phone, email, and dashboards. To further support decision-making, the system incorporates Power BI visualizations, which translate complex data into clear, actionable insights.

Rapid Deployment and Results

Responding to Iberdrola’s request in late December, Unatec deployed an Energy-SEOS pilot within six weeks, providing them with data and detailed graphs previously unavailable in their legacy systems. Following a successful test period, Iberdrola expanded the application across all of their wind farms in Spain.

“Adapting Iberdrola's unique meter data format and acquisition model to integrate with our system required meticulous attention to detail. Customizing both the web platform and Power BI reports to meet their specific needs added another layer of complexity,” Gil García said. “However, our extensive industry experience and agile approach allowed us to overcome these hurdles and deliver an effective solution within the tight deadline.”

Energy-SEOS was primarily developed using Microsoft .NET, which allowed Unatec to accelerate application development and ensure cross-platform compatibility. “As a Microsoft-certified partner, Unatec naturally opted for .NET, not only for its technical advantages but also for its seamless integration with Azure web services, ensuring a robust and future-proof system for Iberdrola's operations,” added Gil García.

With Energy-SEOS, Unatec delivered an essential tool for Iberdrola, enhancing its energy management capabilities and significantly reducing penalties. Unatec’s extensive know-how in the energy sector and its proactive approach to problem-solving made Energy-SEOS a success story, saving costs and boosting operational efficiency across renewable energy assets.

Statement from Iberdola:

“Unatec exceeded our expectations in every way. Their team was incredibly fast in deploying the Energy-SEOS solution, which is remarkable for a project of this complexity. Thanks to Energy-SEOS, we've significantly reduced our penalty costs and now have a much clearer understanding of our energy production. The proactive alerts have greatly improved how we diagnose and address reactive energy issues in our wind farms. We couldn’t be happier with the partnership.”