The power of big data:

Siemens-Gamesa

Johnson Controls Inc.

Authored by: Borja Boyano

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 Contents
1. Turn each bit of data into better outcomes for you...................................................................... 3
2. Harnessing powerful insights today to generate smarter wind power for tomorrow........................ 3
3. Big data generates bigger outcomes for wind farm owners........................................................... 3
4. Remote monitoring and data analytics....................................................................................... 4

Data learning drives the wind industry into a new era

The future of the wind industry will not be business as usual. How are big data insights powering a new
era of smart wind power and transforming the entire digital enterprise, accelerating innovation, and
harnessing new opportunities?

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1. Turn each bit of data into better outcomes for you
By the year 2020, the volume of digital data stored is expected to surpass 40 zettabytes. One
zettabyte is 50 percent more than all the grains of sand on all of Earth’s beaches – an astronomical
amount of information with equally momentous potential. Yet, big data is not new to the wind
industry.
The sector granted connectivity to turbines over a decade ago, with some companies installing sensors
as far back as two decades ago. From energy outputs to weather conditions, these sensors have
recorded nearly every factor of operation. Now, the question becomes how to translate the mountains
of amassed data into meaningful insight – a transition that will accelerate renewable energy
innovation.

2. Harnessing powerful insights today to generate smarter

wind power for tomorrow
A pioneer of wind energy for over 30 years, Siemens Gamesa was the first company in the world to
install smart wind turbines including sensors. Today, Siemens Gamesa maintains the industry’s largest
amount of historical data – a database that grows daily with data collection from over 10,000 turbines
worldwide.
Inside each smart turbine, more than 300 sensors continuously transmit over 200 gigabytes of data per
day to Siemens Gamesa’s state-of-the-art remote diagnostic center in Brande, Denmark. Here,
advanced analytics and round-the-clock human monitoring convert this raw data into valuable insights.

3. Big data generates bigger outcomes for wind farm owners

Whereas other companies focus on a purely IT approach, Siemens Gamesa uses the strength of its
personnel and OEM experience to not just “see” what is happening, but understand why it is
happening.
This enables us to predict and prevent unscheduled downtime, transition wind farms to condition-
based monitoring, and substantially extend the lifecycle of each smart wind turbine.
By unlocking big data insights, we generate real value for your customers, such as new applications
and solutions that enhance digital service and improved decision-making for revolutionary business
models that capitalize on unforeseen ventures.

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4. Remote monitoring and data analytics
Analyzing data allows for smart service planning

The key to creating really smart wind turbines lies in the future – literally speaking. As turbine sensors
continuously transmit data to Siemens Gamesa’s Diagnostic Center, a digital model uses these values
to forecast the condition of the physical asset.
These models examine weather, component information, service reports and the performances of
similar models in the global fleet to determine when and how a turbine should be serviced – days,
weeks, months, and even years in advance. This predictive capability reduces unplanned maintenance
and downtime, adding weeks of profitable production.
In the future, a digital wind farm’s success may hinge on these aspects:
 how skillfully its virtual model has been designed
 how successfully operational data can be fed into it
 how well the resulting data can forecast its future.

Remote monitoring generates maintenance advice

At the Diagnostic Center, 130 analytic experts perform more than 34,000 data analyses per year.
Vibration diagnostics detect irregularities indicative of potential fast- or slow-developing damage, and
over 99 percent of all drive train damage is accurately predicted. The advantage of this digital service
lies in the savings and the planning: New parts can be ordered in advance and servicing can be
postponed until the low-wind season.
When the technician visits the site, our Monitoring Operations and Registration System (MORS)
provides a report outlining the issue and data-driven solutions. For every turbine event that occurs,
whether reactive or proactive, a diagnostic MORS case is recorded – in a database that now contains
over two million cases. Each case generates advice on the immediate remote handling of the turbine
by analyzing data from previous cases. With a database this diverse, Siemens Gamesa can remotely
resolve 85% of all alarms received within 10 minutes.