Duke Energy Renewables, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp (NYSE:DUK), was selected by Deepwater Wind Block Island to remotely monitor the first offshore wind project in the United States.
On Oct. 26, Duke Energy announced that its Renewable Control Center (RCC) will provide monitoring and control services to the 30-MW Block Island wind project, located off the coast of Block Island, Rhode Island.
Under the agreement, the company will be responsible for 24/7 monitoring and control services, data acquisition, performance analysis and reporting activities.
Duke Energy will engage two companies – Grantek Systems Integration and Customized Energy Solutions – to provide additional services for the wind project.
Grantek Systems will supply plant network, SCADA design and engineering services, while Customized Energy Solutions will offer scheduling, settlement and reporting services.
First Commercial Offshore Wind Farm in the U.S.
Deepwater Wind started construction on Block Island Wind Farm in 2015 and completed in August 2016. The project includes five Haliade wind turbines supplied by GE Renewable Energy.
The wind farm is scheduled to start commercial operation in November. It is expected to produce more than 125,000 megawatt hours annually.
Duke’s Renewable Control Center or RCC will also perform energy market and dispatch services for the Block Island wind plan, serving as point of contact with ISO New England, the regional transmission organization.
Commenting on the agreement, Deepwater Wind CEO Jeffrey Grybowski said that Duke Energy is expert in “renewable energy monitoring services” and they will “provide reliable, real-time monitoring and critical analysis of the Block Island Wind Farm’s operations.”
Duke Energy Boosting Cyber Security
Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy’s RCC is a generator-operator with the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. It provides critical monitoring services for 4,500 MW of renewables from third-party and Duke Energy Renewables’ sites.
“We are currently implementing additional cyber security controls to meet NERC’s Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) requirements,” Jeff Wehner, vice president of Duke Energy Renewable Operations, said in a statement. “Offering the advanced technology and security of a CIP-compliant control center to others in the renewables industry, like the Block Island Wind Farm, saves customers the significant investment of building a control center of their own.”
Duke Energy Renewable Services is unit of Duke Energy Renewables, which oversees wind, solar and battery projects throughout the United States. The company’s fleet of owned and third-party wind and solar operations now spans 73 projects in 15 states, totaling more than 4,500 megawatts in electric-generating capacity.
