The WISE project and its new ecosystem were launched during EnergyWeek. Autonomous power plants are one of the ambitious aims of the collaboration.
The high-profile new WISE project was launched at an event on Thursday during Vaasa EnergyWeek. WISE stands for Wide & Intelligent Sustainable Energy. Wärtsilä is acting as the leading partner and opens itself up for others to join the mission and build an ecosystem together.
“Transitioning the whole energy sector goes beyond the scope of Wärtsilä,” says Rasmus Teir, General Manager, Sustainability & Future Plants Concepts at Wärtsilä Energy.
Autonomous power plants
One of the focal points of the R&D within the project is to develop autonomous power plants. This development includes enabling autonomous operation in power plants through digital, automation and engine technologies.
“Autonomous power plants are a long-term target, and for that, we need integrations in several areas, for example, data and digital infrastructure,” says Amir Shirdel, Program Manager, Autonomous Plants at Wärtsilä Energy.
“Prognostic insights, mathematical modelling and digital twins are all part of that,” Shirdel continues.
Renewables bring both opportunities and challenges
Wärtsilä has long been a front-runner within sustainability. The organization’s groundbreaking work continues and evolves through this new project. It is clear that renewable energy opens up opportunities as well as new challenges.
Markus Ljungkvist, Vice President, Energy Services at Wärtsilä Energy, shed some insight on what is happening on the market. Ljungkvist explains that coal is gradually being phased out while renewable energy, solar and especially wind, is growing.
“But when you introduce more renewables, you need balancing power. And when you add renewables, you also tend to have many problems with the grid.”
The experts conclude that the WISE project and Wärtsilä now need to partner with technology and industrial partners, as well as research organizations, to solve all the challenges ahead.
Interested parties can receive more information on the project and sign up on the new website, www.wiseecosystem.com.
