State-Of-The-Art Power Plant Controllers from Bachmann – Powerful and Secure

Bachmann electronic, global market leader in wind automation, has announced an updated version of its Smart Power Plant Controller, with new functions fully certified in accordance with VDE-AR-N 4110/4120. New certified functions include primary control (PRL) to provide frequency-dependent active power, conveniently enabling power plants to pre-qualify for and participate in the balancing energy market. 

Additionally, the adaption of active power during overfrequency or underfrequency (P(f) characteristic) is now integrated and has been included in the Smart Power Plant Controller’s component certificate. This feature is now centrally managed by the plant controller, avoiding the need for the implementation and certification of each individual power generation unit (PGU). Certification costs are reduced, and older plants without this function can also be connected.

The process of automatic grid reconnection following the PGU’s protective decoupling mechanism can be centrally controlled by the Smart Power Plant Controller. This function is therefore no longer required as part of the PGU’s unit certification, providing greater flexibility when connecting old and new plants. With the primary control function, wind turbine owners and operators also access additional revenue sources.

The Smart Power Plant Controller is compatible with both homogeneous and heterogeneous power plants, including wind turbines and storage systems. It feeds renewable energy from up to a hundred plants into the network safely and securely. The integrated user management system, together with multilayer security architecture, provides comprehensive protection against cyber-attacks. Other new features include transmission loss compensation and a reworked browser-based user interface to provide clearer menu navigation in the project planning stage and during operation.

“Bachmann supplies robust and reliable PLC components, and we were especially impressed by their technical expertise,” says Michael Meyer of S.-S.B. Systemtechnik GmbH & Co. KG. “The Smart Power Plant Controller made it possible to certify our customer’s entire plant and connect it to the power network. We are especially pleased with the flexibility and the number of available interfaces.”