Turbine Control System Market

The global turbine control systems market is expected to grow at a steady rate during the forecast period, primarily due to the rising development of micro hydro projects and the government initiatives to explore renewable sources of energy. Moreover, the potential for wind power generation is expected to create an opportunity for the market players offering turbine control systems. However, the high cost of turbine control systems is expected to restrain the growth of the global turbine control systems market during the forecast period.

Micro hydro is a type of hydroelectric power that typically produces electricity using the natural flow of water. Micro hydro projects are taking place as micro hydro power is considered to be as a substitute for solar PV power systems owing to the fact that in several parts of the world, the availability micro hydro power is the highest in winters when solar energy is at a minimum. Micro hydro is frequently produced with a high head around 300 meters, and with a low flow water supply. Micro hydro power projects can play a critical role in improving the overall energy availability of particular locations, especially in remote and inaccessible areas. However, for creating the demand for industrial development and for achieving the clean energy, there is an increase in the demand for turbines, which has further propelled the demand for hydro turbine control systems for regulating the temperature, pressure, and speed of a turbine.

According to the Hydropower Status Report published in 2019, in 2018, micro hydro power projects contributed almost 22 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity worldwide; this increase in the existing capacity to 1,292 GW resulted in the generation of approximately 4,200-terawatt hours (TWh) of clean electricity in the same year. Moreover, government bodies around the world are focusing on investing in hydropower projects. For instance, in 2018, Mexico’s government invested USD 985 million to modernize and upgrade sixty existing hydropower plants in the country. Additionally, the Bolivian government invested USD 17 billion for the development of the El Rio Grande hydropower complex, with up to 2,900 MW generation planned by 2025. Thus, the growing number of micro hydro power projects has led to an increase in the demand for turbines that are used for generating electricity as a part of these projects. The hydro turbine control system controls the load of the natural river flow and returns the water to the river after it is passed through the turbine. The major function of hydro turbine control systems comprises monitoring the river flow, reservoir level, and load, and applying a control strategy that optimizes load generation by smoothly regulating the flow back to the river. Therefore, the rising development of Micro Hydro projects is expected to drive the growth of the global turbine control systems market during the forecast period.

The power industry comprises conventional as well unconventional energy generation sources. However, the focus has been shifting toward unconventional or increasing the percentage of renewable energy in the total power generation mix. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the share of renewable energy sources in the US was around 16.9% in the country’s total energy sources by the end of 2018. Moreover, it is also predicted that the share of the renewable energy sources of the country is projected to reach nearly 30% out of the country’s total installed capacity by 2050. Such potential for growth is expected to create a demand for turbine control systems, especially in wind turbines. Furthermore, as per the EIA, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind are going to register the fastest growth in terms of installation capacity over the next two years. As per the Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) Report January 2019, the utility-scale wind generation sources are expected to grow by 14%, in 2020. Moreover, as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC), authorities in the US aims at reducing the emission of greenhouse gas by 26–28% by the end of 2025, as compared to the levels of 2005. Such factors are expected to increase the demand for renewable energy sources especially wind power.

The turbine control system consists of sensors and controllers for monitoring, controlling, and data collection for the effective functioning of the turbines. As turbines are an essential part of the electricity generation network, the constant monitoring and controlling of turbines are essential for the effective functioning of turbines. Turbine control systems provide temperature, load, and speed control functions to wind turbines, helping utility companies to utilize electricity generated through turbines in an optimum way. Turbines are an essential part for the generation of electricity from renewable energy sources. The wind turbine control system reduces the loads on wind turbine components while capturing more wind energy and converting it into electricity. Such factors add to the demand for turbine control systems in the power sector. Therefore, the application of turbines for wind power generation is expected to create an opportunity for the global turbine control systems market during the forecast period.

Turbine control systems consist of sensors, controllers, processors, software, and communication devices, which are equipped with control center processing platform to monitor the working condition of turbines. The control server platform also provides a database storage system for the lifetime data collection of turbines. The system also consists of energy control technologies (ECT) which provide solutions for single or multi-shaft gas turbines including speed or power control, while protecting against excessive temperature, pressure, and over speed conditions. However, the cost of various components such as sensors, processors, and control server platforms are expensive and require high investments for obtaining real-time data of various components of turbines such as cooling systems, speed regulator, and temperature/pressure regulator. This significantly increases the total cost of turbine control systems. Moreover, the cost of the turbine control system also depends on the type of turbines and substations where they are being installed. Therefore, the high cost of turbine control systems is expected to restrain the growth of the global turbine control systems market during the forecast period.