Power Factors Becomes an AWS ISV-A Partner: Here’s How It Benefits our Customers
By Dave Roberts, Chief Business Development & Partnerships at Power Factors
Yesterday, Power Factors announced that it has become an AWS ISV-A partner. As a leading provider of renewable energy asset performance management (APM) software, this premier collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) benefits Power Factors’ customers significantly, helping them optimize their renewable energy assets and drive greater value from their investments.
6+ Ways Customers Benefit from the AWS & Power Factors Collaboration
1. Enhanced data security and privacy
By leveraging modern cloud technologies, Power Factors can ensure its customers’ data is safe and secure, protected against potential cyber threats or data breaches. This is especially important in the renewable energy industry, where data security and privacy are top priorities for asset owners and operators.
In prior posts, I shared Power Factors & AWS’ core security work in support of various evolving regulatory and security requirements, such as NERC CIP-002 and its recent update to include Low Impact Facilities under the regulatory schema NERC CIP-003-9. There are five key elements of CIP-003-9 for our customers with Low Impact Facilities to consider:
- Cyber Security Policy
- Cyber Security Awareness
- Cyber Security Asset Control
- Cyber Security Incident Response
- Vendor Electronic Remote Access Security Controls
2. Improved scalability and flexibility
With a modern cloud-based infrastructure, Power Factors can scale its APM software more easily and quickly, ensuring that it can handle customers’ growing demands as they add new renewable energy assets to their portfolios.
For owners of renewable energy assets, scalability and flexibility must address not only the time series data, but also the complex set of events. Events are generated by local SCADA systems (typically Alarms), but also include events generated by an APM (e.g., degraded performance) that require significant processing to calculate but must have very low latency in presenting qualified events to the operations center personnel.
3. Improved extensibility
For the large/extra-large Global Energy Majors (GEMs) with portfolios of >2000MW, Power Factors employs a “fit in place” strategy enabling large enterprises to bolt services and applications into their systems of record and infrastructure.
Built on a secure and reliable AWS cloud, Power Factors and AWS provides a modular Renewables Data Lake, Asset Analytics with integrated AI/ML and Renewables Asset Management with a suite of packaged capabilities including Remote Monitoring, Performance Reporting, Predictive Maintenance and Field Service Management to our customers.
4. Access to new technologies and features
Leveraging AWS enables Power Factors to take advantage of new technologies and features that are available on the AWS platform, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence tools, advanced analytics capabilities, and more.
This allows Power Factors to continually improve its APM software and provide customers with even more valuable insights and data-driven recommendations. Our teams continue to collaborate with AWS on the long-term product roadmap and best-in-class reference architecture to solve the complexities of the evolving renewable energy market — not only supporting historical analytics but also the need for real-time and predictive operations to maximize economic results.
5. Better customer support and service
With access to AWS’s global technical and energy teams, Power Factors can provide its customers with faster, more responsive customer support and service. This technical access also helps Power Factors “future-proof” its core technology platform on behalf of our customers.
Not only does this help us ensure that any real-time issues or concerns are addressed promptly, but it also addresses and limits the underlying long-term technology risk of evolving cloud technologies and tools. Our customers can be assured that the combination of AWS and PF ensures the proper adoption and implementation of modern cloud technologies over the life of their assets.
6. Alignment with industry standards and best practices
By working with AWS, Power Factors is aligning itself with the latest industry standards and best practices for cloud-based software and infrastructure. This ensures its APM software remains at the forefront of innovation and is able to meet the evolving needs of customers in the renewable energy industry.
The wind industry has (partially) adopted the IEC 61400-xx standard(s) for data models and connectivity, and often leverages the IEC 61850 standards for substation assets. The solar industry is still evolving, and one of our roles is to work with our customers to provide recommended data models and standards for deployment at PPC, SCADA, BMS/EMS at Solar and BESS facilities, reducing the onboarding and implementation lift, but also ensuring high data availability and quality across all applications.
Bonus extra credit
As an ISV-A Partner, Power Factors is now able to offer AWS platform customers the ability to procure Power Factors solutions through the AWS Private Marketplace. This mechanism enables lower transaction costs, efficient contracting, and EDP quota retirement for AWS enterprise customers.
In conclusion, Power Factors collaboration with AWS is a significant development for the company and its customers. By leveraging AWS’ cloud-based infrastructure, technology, and expertise, Power Factors is able to deliver even greater value to customers, helping them to scale and optimize their renewable energy assets and achieve better results. As the renewable energy industry continues to grow and evolve, partnerships like this one will play an increasingly important role in driving innovation, improving efficiency, and delivering greater customer value.
As a final note, I have the honor of co-presenting with Ben Rice from BP Wind Energy at the AWS Energy Symposium in Houston, Texas, on May 17, 2023. If you are attending or considering, I welcome the opportunity to meet and further discuss our collaboration with AWS and how it can benefit your operations.
Dave Roberts is Chief, Business Development and Partnerships at Power Factors and has over 20 years of senior leadership experience spanning development, operations and services. Prior to his role at Power Factors, Mr. Roberts is the founder and CEO of a startup: SenseOps, Inc. SenseOps was founded to develop edge-based software IIoT solutions connecting distributed renewable energy assets leveraging IoT hardware and pervasive connectivity.
Prior to Power Factors and SenseOps, he spent 12 years at OSIsoft in various executive roles. As Global VP for Business Development, Mr. Roberts managed OSIsoft’s vertical industries, including Power, T&D, Oil & Gas, Metals & Mining, Chemicals, Pharmaceutical and other process industries. He was also the Industry Principle for Renewable Power Generation.