Managing all the moving parts of over a dozen projects requires a secure technology solution designed specifically for nuances of generating and optimizing renewable energy operations.
Managing the complexities of the renewable energy lifecycle in a digital platform
Like most renewable energy companies scaling from a couple of projects to many projects, Zero6 was collecting data from many different sources including SCADA and manual downloads from a range of data acquisition systems and storing it in a variety of software programs and locations.
This created data silos that made it difficult to oversee all aspects of each project from design and development to the fulfillment of delivering clean electricity. Without a single data repository, it is hard for stakeholders to know where to find the information they need.
When a report is needed, it is a manual time-consuming job to pull data from various sources, analyze and transform those data into an interpretable format, add narrative and convert it all into a presentable format.
“We knew we needed to invest in a holistic asset management software solution that would allow us to maintain a sole source for technical, financial, and commercial asset management activities. Scalability was an important consideration given our company’s growth track,” said Karl Neset, Director of Asset Management.
The onboarding process has taken around five months with weekly meetings to support the organization of the data.
“There was a lot of clicking and dragging of files into the data room, everything from information on parts and inventory of spare parts, project agreements, task requirements, and contact information for the numerous stakeholder affiliations. I never felt alone in the onboarding process, and I can now oversee 95% of our solar assets in the software, and we are incorporating wind assets next,” concluded Neset.
On a recent site inspection, Neset saw a damaged panel and was able to use the ticketing process in Radian Digital to identify what was damaged and where, and then manage correspondence with technicians, vendors, and end-users in the digital platform, making for a fluid and fast resolution with a trail of accountability.
With onboarding completed, Zero6 will also be able to automate regular reporting, view performance, detect underperforming assets in real-time, and manage workflows and tasks across teams with ease
The Radian platform also manages compliance and given the diversity of the Zero6 portfolio across six states, this will be a real time saver. Each asset has its own compliance obligations, from basic annual filings to complex reporting to multiple entities. Some compliance obligations require multiple subtasks to be completed by different individuals in certain sequences or intervals.
The platform will be used for tracking the many steps involved in compliance activities along with the associated documents, reports, due dates, and key roles in one place. Automated email alerts can be set to help team members to stay on task and ensure documentation is filed on time. All documentation is archived and time-stamped, leaving an easy trail for audibility.
With customizable dashboards, owners can see that their assets are cared for, watched closely and well managed for the life of the project. While investors usually receive more sophisticated reporting, taking a quick peek at the current status of a project through visual dashboards provides a level of confidence through transparency.
Cybersecurity remains top of mind
Implementing stringent cybersecurity measures to defend against potential threats and comply with regulatory standards is vital to ensuring the reliability of renewable energy operations. For most projects under 20 MW, Zero6 has Radian software designed to push data installed on existing SCADA servers. For larger projects, a Radian server (ISO 27001 certified) is installed on site as is required by NERC to receive and protect real time performance data feeds.
Scalability is vital for sustainable growth
In 2023, Zero6 Asset Management was created as a separate entity to administrate asset management services across not only the company’s wind, solar, and hydropower assets, but also potential partners in need of asset management as a service. Scaling is crucial to the company’s business plan as it will be onboarding over 30 wind turbines, a new hydroelectric power plant in Rhode Island, various EV Charging sites across five states, and potentially thermal assets, all in the next 24 months.
“The reason we went with Radian is that they utilize the software themselves for managing their clients’ energy projects, so they understand our side of the desk better than anyone else. We are completely aligned - their system improvements will automatically extend our capabilities. In technology, that is a never-ending story. Baking in continual streamlining of our business processes we have a competitive advantage to scale, hence this new division – and we are well on our way to making that happen,” said John Brand, who is the Chief Financial Officer with Zero6 Energy.
