How to Control Energy From Waste Facilities

Creating a 'virtual power plant' with multiple generation resources

  • August 19, 2015
  • 875 views
  • The state-of-the-art biomass heating and power station at Wiesbaden burns around 90,000 tonnes of biomass every year, generating CO2-neutral power and district heating.
    The state-of-the-art biomass heating and power station at Wiesbaden burns around 90,000 tonnes of biomass every year, generating CO2-neutral power and district heating.
  • All information for operating and monitoring the entire process of the biomass heating and power station at Wiesbaden is collected in the central control room.
    All information for operating and monitoring the entire process of the biomass heating and power station at Wiesbaden is collected in the central control room.
  • New PMSX®micro DCS solution debuts at RWM. This solution is focused on smaller DCS applications in the field of continuous processes which makes it suitable for a wide range of industries from process to factory applications.
    New PMSX®micro DCS solution debuts at RWM. This solution is focused on smaller DCS applications in the field of continuous processes which makes it suitable for a wide range of industries from process to factory applications.
  • Virtual power plants which combine different sources of renewable energy provide a solution to guarantee a stable energy network, ensuring that relevant sources will be combined automatically based on availability
    Virtual power plants which combine different sources of renewable energy provide a solution to guarantee a stable energy network, ensuring that relevant sources will be combined automatically based on availability

Mitsubishi Electric has a proven track record of supplying Electrical, Instrumentation and Control (EI&C) projects for energy producers including full engineering and commissioning. This includes systems for Energy from Waste, Biomass and related industries, such as Biogas based generation for Waste Water companies - covering both electricity generation from steam turbines and district heating.

Proven system solutions

One of the wide range of solutions which will be rolled out at the next RWM expo (15-17 September, Birmingham, UK) will be the PMSXpro - Distributed Control System (DCS), supplied and engineered by Mitsubishi Electric's subsidiary company ME-Automation Projects GmbH. This is an example of technology designed and developed as a package for the control of energy from waste facilities and waste water plants; it is backed up by an installed base and TÜV certification.

Existing customers are complimentary about the solution, including Mr. Wolfgang Zieger, from leading waste to energy plant operator ESWE BioEnergie GmbH, he comments "Mitsubishi Electric's control system achieves 99.99% availability at our steam boiler plant." He is typical of many well-known energy suppliers who currently trust in the proven and reliable technology of the PMSXpro solution.

New PMSXmicro DCS solution

New at the RWM show in Birmingham is the PMSX micro version of the DCS package, designed for smaller field based plants. This solution is focused on smaller DCS applications in the field of continuous processes, which makes it suitable for a wide range of industries from process to factory applications. Companies will benefit from full-DCS functionality, with added cost-efficiency combined with the technology and field knowledge of a proven and mature solution.

Creating a 'virtual power plant' with multiple generation resources

Managing a combination of power generation sources including variable supply from renewables and coordinating them so that they work as one harmonised virtual power plant is a relatively new challenge, however Mitsubishi Electric already has a solution. The aim at RWM was to demonstrate how to connect diverse and geographically distributed renewable power sources to a Virtual Power Plant providing an affordable, green and steady power supply to consumers.

The virtual power plant solution is effectively enabled by a range of intelligent and reliable  products ranging from low voltage switchgear through variable speed drives, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), human machine interfaces (HMIs) up to medium and high voltage power management and switching solutions. Dag Hoeft, Technical Sales Consultant Process Industry, Factory Automation - European Business Group, Mitsubishi Electric Europe B.V., explains: "There is no readymade solution available for virtual power plants as each scenario around the world is different. Rather every installation is designed to meet individual requirements and is dependent on the specific type and number of control requirements from traditional fuels to renewables as diverse as geothermal, wind, hydro and biomass. The Vertical Solutions Team from Mitsubishi Electric however is there to support engineers and to help develop solutions that can deliver on the effective management of energy supply resources both today and in the future."

The manufacturer also attended the RWM show to underline that the scope of the service it offers extends beyond automation and control, to include more than just the provision of technology: the company actually offers a full range of Engineering Services from FEED (Front End Engineering Design) studies through to life time maintenance support.