With an expected increase of 11 million electric vehicles (EV) on the road by 2020, the electrification of transportation could drive a 38% spike in electricity demand, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Renewables, specifically wind energy, stands to gain significant business by driving down the cost of energy, so utilities can competitively bid on energy prices to power the EV revolution. As demonstrated in The Wind Challenge, digitalization, long-term forecasting and life extension will be key to improving financial outcomes to operator and supplier communities.
Sentient Science powered The Wind Challenge in collaboration with industry associations – WindEurope and American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) to bring awareness to the global industry on the financial impact digitalization facilitates through long-term forecasting of the service actions and replacement schedules needed for life extension. The online demonstration implicated an average life extension of 4 years per turbine was achievable with an industrywide impact of $85 billion for wind owners and operators. Platform technology facilitates transactions based on forecasting and lifecycle cost, demonstrating how pooling the regional replacement demand could support $18 billion of new revenue opportunities for suppliers.
Today, Sentient gave the winner of Phase II of the Wind Challenge, Adam Ziemba of Poland, an electric Zero Motorcycle for his gameplay in achieving an average life extension of 5.10 years on his wind farm through strategic investment of $4.2 million in life extension action. His return on investment showed a $28.9 million improved financial outcome for his site.
The Model S is an 11-kW electric motorcycle with battery power for 72km on the highway and 149km in the city. The prize tops out at 98 mph speed with a combined mileage range of 97 km. At the heart of every Zero is the efficient Z-Force® powertrain. Its battery achieves the highest power and energy density in the EV industry and is designed with Bluetooth connection for customizable performance parameters. Its sleek look, agile mobility and green technology made it the perfect giveaway for the industrywide challenge. Nearly 1,000 wind enthusiasts from 44 countries competed in the battle for life extension.
Sentient Science is a one-stop digitalization solution, combining materials science and data science from live SCADA and Maximo to predict short and long-term failure rates with time for life extension action, reducing field failure rates by 50%. The platform is the interface for operators and suppliers to transact based on life extension and lifecycle cost, disrupting the traditional pipeline business model of the industry.