Software companies make control code easier to generate, customize

Energy-system supplier Alstom and energy R&D firm Ikerlan-IK4 say they are using IBM software to develop wind-turbine controls that significantly improve the performance of renewable-energy power systems. New wind turbines will leverage a complex system of electronic sensors combined with software from IBM to gather inputs regarding wind direction, speed, temperature and other factors for best performance. A central control collects and analyzes data from each turbine to remotely control individual turbine subsystems, perform diagnostics, and manage wind farm power generation. Alstom and Ikerlan-IK4 say they are using IBM software to help develop and automate the “system of systems” that controls the turbines and their interconnected communications systems.

“Using IBM software helps us automate the design and development of Alstom Wind control systems,” says Alston VP Alfonso Faubel. “The program lets us deliver tailored solutions that are adapted to emerging standards, markets, and client needs.”

The two energy companies also use the Gears Software Product Line Lifecycle Framework, from BigLever Software, to customize their control software to accommodate varying climates and geographies where the wind turbines will operate. Alstom and Ikerlan-IK4 estimate their use of IBM and Big Lever Software reduces their development costs by as much as 25% and decreases development time by a whopping 90%.

“The fact that the wind turbines can be customized to accommodate geographic differences and adjust to ambient environmental changes adds a layer of complexity to an already a complex software-development process,” says Dr. Salvador Trujillo, chief product line engineer at Ikerlan-IK4. “By using IBM Rational Software for model-driven development combined with BigLever Gears for product line engineering, we can reuse software assets and manage these variations at a pace that lets us keep up with market requirements.”

Wind power is growing as a sustainable energy choice and is expected to make up as much as 12% of the global power supply by 2020. For example, Denmark supplies more than 20% of its total electricity consumption with wind power, by far the largest share of any country in the world. On some windy days, wind has generated over 40% of the electrical power produced in Spain.

According to the European Wind Energy Association, more new wind power capacity was installed in the EU in 2009 than any other electricity-generating technology. Likewise, American Wind Energy Association reports similar trends stating that the U.S. wind industry broke all previous records by installing close to 10,000 MW of new generating capacity in 2009, making the year the strongest yet.

Ikerlan-IK4
Ikerlan.es

Alstom
Alstom.com

IBM
IBM.com

Planning a Better Battery for Wind

The people at IBM’s Almaden Institute say its goal is to catalyze long-term, concerted efforts to create rechargeable next-generation batteries with ten times higher energy density, than the best current Lithium-ion batteries. IBM thinkers recognize that renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, fluctuate continuously, yet society requires a steady, dependable electricity supply. One solution to wind power’s fluctuations is the development of a grid-scale, efficient, and affordable electrical energy storage network that can locally store and distribute in anticipation of supply and demand. This would completely revolutionize the electrical utility business and prepare it to support widespread use of electric cars.

Most of the world’s oil is burned for transportation uses. Scalable energy storage, deployed in the grid and powering long range all-electric vehicles, can eliminate most need to import oil.

The Lab also recognizes that while scalable energy storage is critical to solving the world’s biggest energy problems, progress has been slow. The good news: There are no fundamental scientific obstacles to creating a battery, says IBM, with ten times the energy density of the best current batteries.

Of course it will be difficult. But the company says given the growth of supercomputing power, coupled with developments in nanotechnology, the time is right to greatly accelerate progress. Petaflop-scale supercomputers allow modeling complex chemical systems for electrolytes, catalysts, and electrodes. Experimental studies, says the Institute, will lead to new nanostructured surfaces, catalysts and membranes.

The Almaden Institute is held annually at IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California. It brings together eminent, innovative thinkers from academia, government, industry, research labs and the media for an intellectually charged, stimulating and vigorous dialogue that addresses fundamental challenges at the edge of science and technology. The Institute format is designed to facilitate and foster discussion, debate, interaction, and networking.

IBM and Cisco Develop Amsterdam’s Smarter Energy Project

Cisco and IBM have announced they are teaming on a pilot to help the utility for the city of Amsterdam to make better use of energy by letting consumers make more informed decisions about their energy consumption. The pilot program is part of the Amsterdam Smart City initiative, in which citizens, governments, and companies are working together to make more efficient use of energy, water, and mobility. “Now that more than half of the global population lives in cities, we must acknowledge that achieving a sustainable future lies in our urban centers,” said Guido Bartels, General Manager of IBM’s Global Energy & Utilities industry.

The consortium will let home owners manage their energy use with “smart” metering and home-energy-management equipment, which will give 500 selected households insight to their energy consumption and possibly change how they use electricity.

The utility and IBM will develop energy-management software, making use of intelligent IT systems and well-protected web technology. Cisco will be responsible for the IP-based home energy software for real-time and secure connectivity between household appliances and the energy grid with the goal of improving efficiencies.

IBM and Cisco want to show how intelligence throughout the electrical grid can reduce outages and faults, improve responsiveness, handle current and future demand, increase efficiency, and manage costs.