In a condition monitoring retrofit first for the Indian renewables market, independent power producer (IPP) Greenko has teamed up with ONYX InSight, a leading global predictive analytics and engineering firm, to modernise 500 wind turbines in their fleet. As a front-runner in digitalisation of renewables assets, Greenko sought ONYX InSight technology to enhance the quality of data from the wind turbine drivetrain to enable adoption of the latest predictive analytics.

ONYX InSight will be installing its advanced sensing equipment, ecoCMS, in a phased retrofit project across the 500 direct drive and geared turbines. Using their fleetMONITOR condition monitoring software platform, the data generated will be used to identify developing machinery failures, providing longer lead times of 6 - 12 months to plan for repairs¹.   

This comes at a time when ambitious wind energy targets² and increasing competitiveness against traditional power sources have made improvement in turbine reliability through digitisation a must for the Indian market.

As independent power producers increase capacity in India, moving towards a self-sufficient operations and maintenance strategy is necessary to maximise efficiency, reduce costs and retain investor confidence over the lifespan of the project. Digitalisation and predictive maintenance will be the lynchpin to streamline wind farm operations and maximise production. 

Sharath Prabhakaran, India manager, ONYX InSight, said: "The change in the renewables support mechanism in India will encourage wind farm owners to look at ways to optimise operations. With this deal, Greenko will demonstrate to the market that the future lies in predictive maintenance and digitalising operations."

Mr. Srinivasa Rao Ch, Dy.COO, Greenko asset management, said: "Our current focus is driven by three key objectives: independently managing our operations and maintenance, improving turbine reliability and shaping our business for the digital future. Our partnership with ONYX InSight is the first big step towards achieving these objectives."

Mr. Srinivasa Rao Ch continues: "Turbine breakdown during critical wind season can cause large revenue losses. Monitoring and digitally recording wind turbine health creates a 'health passport' which provides more assurance for the investor. We are confident we will see a good return on this investment in digitalisation." 

Ashley Crowther, global VP at ONYX InSight said: "ecoCMS advanced sensing technology remains unchallenged in the market for retrofit projects, due to its combination of affordability and performance. At ONYX InSight, we pride ourselves on being continuously innovative, with a core team of engineers bringing the power of machine learning to predictive analytics." 

Ashley continues: "We have worked with Greenko on various projects since 2016, and they stand out as early adopters in their urge to digitalise and harness technology for the purposes of operations and maintenance. The addition of ecoCMS will ensure that the health of their turbines is fortified by data rich predictive analytics, bolstering reliability, minimising downtime and maximising returns."

Mr. Srinivasa Rao Ch concludes: "We have selected ONYX InSight after careful evaluation of their predictive system. We are looking forward to adopting further machine learning in addition to predictive maintenance. Already we are looking ahead to machine learning technology for non-drive train predictive analytics; an area we hope to extend our partnership with ONYX InSight in the near future."

¹  ONYX InSight 'Thinking About Tomorrow'

²  GWEC, India's ambitious renewable energy plans

ONYX InSight | www.onyxinsight.com

Greenko | www.greenkogroup.com