Emerson reported June 2 that its Ovation Green supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software is helping Holy Cross Energy in Glenwood Springs, Colo., operate, monitor and optimize renewable energy generation across four sites in western Colorado.

The utility powers colleges, ranching operations, residential infrastructure and the local tourism industry, including Vail and Aspen. The member-owned, not-for-profit electric cooperative reports it supplies sustainable, reliable energy that aligns with consumers’ environmental values, and maintains affordable, stable energy costs. Power purchase agreements (PPA) with local, renewable-energy providers also let Holy Cross provide local, low-cost, renewable energy to its members.

Emerson helps Holy Cross manage four power plants delivering energy via solar, wind and battery storage to more than 45,000 members, almost 52,000 households and 60,000 active meters with a peak load of approximately 300 megawatts. For example, customized Ovation Green SCADA software at Mamm Creek, High Mesa, Hunter, and Bronco Plains II facilities enable highly granular control, so operators can manage plant performance in real time, as well as set day-ahead and multi-day-ahead schedules for controlling the plants hour-by-hour.

“Ovation Green SCADA software enables our operators to precisely manage production and optimally dispatch clean energy across our network,” said Phil Armstrong, power supply manager at Holy Cross Energy. “Integrating data from diverse renewable assets and systems into one platform let us access  insights to make business decisions. This unified operational view helps us optimize resources, meet member needs, monitor contractual obligations and performance requirements, and support real-time market participation and forecasting.”

To manage Holy Cross’s renewable generation, operators use Ovation to control power dispatches from the generation sites. Key performance indicator (KPI) dashboards, battery energy storage system schedulers, PPA and operational compliance dashboards, telemetry and downtime analysis in the software provide a high level of supervisory control over all assets. They also help users in the 24/7, centralized control center better understand operations, so they can best serve cooperative members. The software also enables the operations and business teams to quickly sift through large amounts of historical production data in different formats for use in billing, tracking and trending plant performance over time, and understanding whether the plants are meeting contractual requirements.

“Member-focused organizations like Holy Cross Energy recognize the importance of seamless digital solutions to manage their complex, multi-faceted operations, and provide key business insights,” adds Bob Yeager, president of Emerson’s power and water solutions business. “Ovation Green software gives Holy Cross Energy one platform for full operational visibility across various generation assets, as well as improved supervisory control to ensure they can continue to deliver the stable, sustainable energy."