Since 2010, VALEMO has been developing wind and photovoltaic remote management tools to meet the supervision needs of its facilities.
With the increase in the number of power plants in operation, and following the acquisition of the FHA (Force Hydraulique Antillaise, based in Guadeloupe) portfolio by the VALOREM group, VALEMO has been working on the creation of a remote management tool for hydroelectricity.
This tool enables the supervision teams to monitor the status of the hydroelectric plants in real time. By sending alarms by SMS and e-mail, remote center operators can react more quickly to reduce downtime.
SCADA remote management is very useful to maintenance teams to identify malfunctions while preparing corrective missions. It can also be used during on-site interventions, since the interface can be accessed locally and via the smartphone, PC and tablet application. This gives technicians a live view of the impact of actions taken on equipment.
The historical data is fed back into the operator’s database, enabling him to carry out in-depth data analysis, qualify the various stoppages and identify under-performance at different levels. This data also enables asset managers to monitor the performance of their portfolio in real time.
This remote management system was developed in partnership with HY7, a company with extensive experience in hydroelectricity. VALEMO developed the remote supervision part, while HY7 developed the automation part. This partnership will enable VALEMO to build up its expertise in hydroelectricity by relying on its partner’s experience.
A first remote management system was installed in May 2023 at the LA ROSE power station (Pelton 2,500 kW – 130 m head) as part of the electrical and automation retrofits deployed in the FHA portfolio. This power station was initially controlled by a TSX PLC coupled to an irio. The aim was to replace the existing controller with a more recent model (M340, standard in hydro power stations) and to install a functional HMI, as the power station did not have one.
The deployment of remote management systems across the portfolio will continue until the end of 2024, to provide the power stations with a tool for displaying operating status both locally and remotely.
The functionalities of our tool can be summarised as follows:
- PDL supervision + remote control.
- DEIE interface.
- Recover meter data (TIC signal).
- Sending alarms in real time by e-mail and SMS.
- Alarm management/acknowledgement to limit downtime.
- Supervision of operating states (power, level, pressure, temperatures)
- Supervision of unit regulation parameters
- Supervision of environmental sensor data.
With its wealth of experience in the various aspects of operating a hydroelectric power station, VALEMO benefits from the different needs that are raised internally and from feedback on the use of this tool.