Do developers/operators make enough use of their data?
We believe that data represents a giant opportunity for the industry. Developers and operators currently have too much uncategorized, siloed, and/or unused historical data. To get the best results, you need to integrate the right data (drivetrain, blade, tower, SCADA), coupled with a powerful analytical platform and the ability to prioritize actions to a user-friendly case management system. These are significant steps to take, even without considering other cyber security and IT challenges. Even large utilities with in-house IT experts, software developers and data scientists are quickly reaching their limits and seeking outside expert support.
In addition, there have been data access restrictions imposed by some OEM’s, citing a need for intellectual property protection. Onyx recognizes the substantial R&D investments made by OEMs without which, frankly, the industry wouldn’t be possible. However, there is an argument that the operational data collected by sensors belongs to asset owners. Restricting access to this data could be classed as anti-competitive, as it often supports the service contracts of OEMs. We recently argued this case in our whitepaper1.