Real-Time RIG Monitoring Optimizes Recovery Time
Folsom, Calif. – When EDF Renewable’s 60 MW Oasis wind-power generation site stopped communicating with CAISO, Trimark’s service desk was the first to know.
“I called our contact at EDF to let him know that their Remote Intelligent Gateway (RIG) was showing an error,” said Shane Morosky, Senior Systems Integration Engineer with Trimark Associates. The client told Shane that a trenching machine had cut the ECN line a few minutes earlier, and thanked him for the alert.
That severed communications circuit prompted an immediate alert on Trimark’s Real-Time RIG monitor – a system that tracks condition of more than 70 RIGs throughout California. These devices provide secure, bi-directional data communication with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO).
On a Saturday morning a few days later, Trimark’s President, Mark Morosky received an urgent call from Scott Lane, SCADA/Communications Engineer with EDF. Mr. Lane called to inquire about the same RIG issue. Mark and Shane spent the next few hours further troubleshooting the issue to confirm the problem and help EDF plan corrective actions.
“Your response was above and beyond what anyone could expect,” said Lane. “You took the initiative and surpassed all my expectations even when the result was not an issue within your sphere of influence.”
This level of response is the foundation of Trimark’s commitment to customer service. Trimark offers 24/7 service desk and RIG monitoring as a standard element of its service agreements. These service agreements also include annual RIG security certificate renewal, ensure proactive system maintenance, and provide for RIG hardware replacement in case of failure.
“Delivering a RIG takes more than a computer and software. That’s the easy part,” said Mark Morosky, Trimark’s President and CEO. “Trimark is committed to supporting our customer’s RIGs during system commissioning and for many years of future compliance.”
The real-time RIG monitor confirms health and communication status in several ways. First, the system confirms that the RIG “heartbeat” is incrementing. This key indicator confirms that the RIG is working. Second, Trimark sends a periodic “ping” to confirm that the RIG network is operational. Third, the system monitors RIG port alarms. These alarms show the connection status of any device connected to the RIG including MET stations, data loggers, or control systems. The result is an early warning system that notifies Trimark and resource owners about issues to help them maximize the time they have to correct issues. Finally, the system will show generation anomalies based on logical rules. For example if a site’s maximum output is 100 MW and the system is reporting 110 MW, the real-time RIG monitor will issue an alert.