«The digitalization of the wind energy sector is underway» by Alejandro Cabrera

At the latest edition of the WindEurope Conference & Exhibition 2019, held April 2 to 4 in Bilbao, it was easy to see that the digitalization process of the wind energy sector is already well underway. It is currently being incorporated into short- and medium-term strategies at the companies that make up the sector’s value chain. 

This was demonstrated in the debates that took place on the third day of the conference, with engaging titles such as “Digitalization – beyond wind,” “Digitalization: creating value in O&M” and “Tomorrow’s wind farms: smart, collaborative, secure!” There was also a wide array of solutions and services with digitalization at their core, which were presented to the sector by the more than 300 exhibitors that attended the event.

These were the main takeaways of this edition:

1. There is no doubt that digitalization is essential in order to increase efficiency levels throughout the entire value chain of the wind energy sector, and to compete with conventional forms of energy generation and other renewable sources—without the need for subsidies.
    
2. Software companies, such as Green Eagle Solutions, must spearhead the digitalization of the sector. During this process, it is especially important to emphasize the role of data throughout the entire lifetime of each project. In this way, the relationship between resource estimation in the project development phase, wind farms’ operational data in the operating phase, and strategies for asset operations exerts an influence when it comes to making decisions regarding the repowering or lifetime extension of these projects.
   
3. There is a need to increase operational efficiency at wind farms, and new concepts such as wind farms’ availability of funds are becoming a recurrent feature of conversations between wind farm managers and owners. Along these lines, the automation of remote wind farm operation through the use of tools based on artificial intelligence (AI) is already a reality, making it possible to reach very high levels of operational efficiency. 

We are confident that over the course of this year, there will be a qualitative leap in the sector’s digitalization. This unstoppable trend will continue to gain ground, helping us to further establish the strategic value of the sector. 

See you at WindEurope Hamburg 2020!