NRG Achieves Optimal Balance Between Asset Life and Performance

GE has developed a unique visibility and insight analytic offering as part of its Operations Optimization solution, allowing power generators to make both short- and long-term decisions that can improve plant profitability. This new offering leverages GE’s Digital Twin model to dynamically review the operation of gas turbines to adjust operating conditions and key set points. This allows customers to bank MW hours during turndown market conditions. By using GE’s Advanced Controls software, power plants can be operated safely above baseload conditions, while the banked MW hours can be used to take advantage of peak market prices and conditions. This gives NRG the ability to directly understand and act on the balance of peak firing withoutage scheduling and, as a result, can grant the commercial team the ability to potentially bid more MWs. NRG has installed the new GE solution at one of its generating stations, and is measuring and refining its use, working with the GE software and engineering teams toward a broader implementation in late 2016. In addition, the GE Digital Twin will monitor NRG’s planned outage timeline, helping ensure that future outage dates will not change, while delivering visibility on the maximum total available output between outages.