POWER July 2022 - 17

SPONSORED
CONTENT
World of Power Generation
Demands Digitalization
An outlook by Adam Goldfarb, Global Marketing Director, Power & Projects, Hexagon
T
he power industry
has changed remarkably
over the
past few decades. A single
distributed network
has heavily evolved to
encompass decarbonization,
decentralization and
digitalization.
Today, power companies
are managing not
only the traditional baseload
systems - such as
coal- or gas-fired power
stations - but also renewables.
The decarbonatization drive is here to stay and is
rapidly expanding.
This leads to decentralization, as wind, solar and other renewable
power generation plants are distributed over a large
geographical area. The old model dominated by a large single
baseload power station with a few mines around it or a few
gas plants surrounding and feeding into it to produce power is
a relic.
Power companies need to combine the output from this
decentralized generation with that of their older-style plants.
These assets are producing power in different ways and at different
speeds but need to be managed together; that's where
digitalization comes in.
Improve work practices, boost efficiency, reduce risk
The digital transformation of operational procedures in the
power industry gives the plant management team a framework
to address multiple issues that can interfere with safe and efficient
production.
When you convert manual procedures to a digital environment
in the power and utilities industry, work practices improve
across the plant while addressing key areas in operations
such as shift handover,
event management
and production control.
Integrated workflows
mean you can better
manage and report on
your regulatory requirements,
including safety
and environmental. Integrated
workflows make
it easier to manage processes.
But
by far the greatest
benefit is a digital
environment that reduces
your operational risks. It's reported that many fatalities and
near-misses in the power industry begin with human error. The
more you can digitalize processes and create efficient and safe
workflows, the less chance of human error. Digitizing communications
and being transparent about safety risks will help reduce
the severity and amount of safety incidents.
There are many other ways that digitalization benefits power
companies. This includes increased transparency and demonstrable
compliance, with auditable traceability of work processes.
Further, such companies are likely to assess cybersecurity
vulnerabilities better and respond more effectively in the event
of cyberattacks.
You can use a web-based digital operational environment to
communicate critical safety events as well as the status of the
plant to a wide group of personnel, even as the event is unfolding.
This allows a larger range of expertise to be involved right
from the start and effectively speeds up the resolution of the
situation and improve resiliency.
For more on this outlook from Hexagon, please visit:
powermag.com/hexagon
July 2022 | POWER
www.powermag.com
17
https://powermag.com/hexagon http://www.powermag.com
POWER July 2022

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