Every extra alarm competes for an operator’s attention, and a flooded list buries the one message that actually matters. Standards such as ANSI/ISA 18.2 and IEC 62682 give you a framework, but the day-to-day work happens in the point configuration inside Ovation Developer Studio.
Inverter-based resources, or IBRs, now supply a growing share of grid capacity, yet they behave very differently from the synchronous machines that utilities have modeled for decades. Because they convert direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) through power electronics, they lack the inherent inertia as they connect to the grid through power electronic converters rather than synchronous machines.
Solar sites are growing to 5 gigawatts, battery projects at 30 gigawatt-hours, and behind-the-meter data center projects reaching 10 gigawatts, with fleets of hundreds of sites and tens of millions of points. The Ovation Platform scales to address these challenges.
Most devices are smart, but the data is often stranded in the device. What is usually missing is written instructions, carried through procurement and design, that say which data comes out, where it lands, and what someone does with it. Without the instructions, the asset management software ships uninstalled or installed but not utilized, the input/output cards get ordered without HART capability, and the plant starts up with 4-20 milliamp signals and nothing else.
At a recent Ovation Users’ Group session, Matt Pizarchik, Excitation Engineer at Emerson, covered how voltage regulators work regardless of manufacturer, the most common failure modes in the field, and the diagnostics built into Ovation excitation controls.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping infrastructure well beyond the data center, and its first pressure point is often the plant. In a keynote to the Ovation Users’ Group, one industry veteran made the case that power, water, and wastewater operators are already living inside that shift, whether they realize it or not.
Power and water demand is growing at a pace the industry has not seen before, and every fuel source is on the table to meet it. Delivering a control system and walking away no longer fits that reality.
Rick Kephart, technology leader for Emerson’s power and water solutions business, framed the challenge around two forces, rising complexity and the people component, with the people side ranking first. The platform’s job is to add flexibility and intelligence, so a human operator stays effective as the landscape shifts.
Technology, markets, and customer needs continue to evolve across the power and water industries. In his keynote presentation at the Ovation Users’ Group conference, Bob Yeager, President of Emerson’s Power and Water Solutions business, discussed how staying relevant requires continuous transformation, close customer collaboration, and a willingness to embrace new technologies.
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This blog features expert perspectives from Emerson's automation professionals on industry trends, technologies, and best practices. The information shared here is intended to inform and educate our global community of users and partners.