Day Ahead Instrumentation, LLC About Us Day Ahead’s offerings are geared to the utility protection and communication needs of commercial and industrial facilities --with interconnections at 120/208V and 277/480V-- which are not served by traditional utility equipment suppliers. Today Day Ahead provides a complete line of fully integrated utility grade protective relays, remote terminal units, industrial communications options, and all of the balance of system components such as CTs, PTs and back-up power solutions. Protective Relays In many areas electric utilities are requiring protective relays for systems as small as a few hundred kW. Day Ahead provides protective relay 3-line drawings showing all connections and associated ANSI functions, onsite relay programming and setup, as well as witnessing and coordination of 3rd party relay testing. Our capabilities also include instrumentation and controls, and data monitoring and analysis services. We specialize in integration of renewable energy system data into utility EMS and SCADA systems for relay status monitoring and direct transfer trip. Day Ahead Instrumentation will provide fully integrated hardware packages of relays, communication, PLCs and RTUs, power supply and UPS in 19" racks or UL 508A NEMA 1, 3R or 4 enclosures delivered to the site ready to install. Remote Terminal Units (RTU) For PV systems in the megawatt range, even for roof top applications, utilities may require real time monitoring and reporting of power generation per the recommendations of IEEE 1547.3 IEEE Guide for Monitoring, Information Exchange, and Control of Distributed Resources Interconnected with Electric Power Systems. This communication is accomplished using remote terminal units communicating directly with the host utility's energy management systems (EMS). Day Ahead integrates and designs the RTU hardware and peripherals with the client's ac switchgear and Day Ahead Instrumentation manufactures the ready-to- install assembly. As part of the process Day Ahead configures the RTU communications to meet the host utility's standard with the specific network and IP addressing provided to the customer by the utility. Day Ahead works with the utility to complete utility acceptance testing. Communication Solutions For grid-tied renewable energy systems, communication plays extremely important role in monitoring, operating, and protecting. Typical communications in the PV system include: • Data acquisition and transmission between PV system and customer SCADA • MPLS line communication between the PV system RTU and Utility EMS • Communication among multiple PV arrays inside the PV system, e.g., for data acquisition and DTT tripping
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DayAheadInstrumentation,LLC
AboutUs
Day Ahead’s offerings are geared to the utility protection and communication needs of commercial and industrial facilities --with interconnections at 120/208V and 277/480V-- which are not served by traditional utility equipment suppliers. Today Day Ahead provides a complete line of fully integrated utility grade protective relays, remote terminal units, industrial communications options, and all of the balance of system components such as CTs, PTs and back-up power solutions.
ProtectiveRelaysIn many areas electric utilities are requiring protective relays for systems as small as a few hundred kW. Day Ahead provides protective relay 3-line drawings showing all connections and associated ANSI functions, onsite relay programming and setup, as well as witnessing and coordination of 3rd party relay testing. Our capabilities also include instrumentation and controls, and data monitoring and analysis services. We specialize in integration of renewable energy system data into utility EMS and SCADA systems for relay status monitoring and direct transfer trip. Day Ahead Instrumentation will provide fully integrated hardware packages of relays, communication, PLCs and RTUs, power supply and UPS in 19" racks or UL 508A NEMA 1, 3R or 4 enclosures delivered to the site ready to install.
RemoteTerminalUnits(RTU)For PV systems in the megawatt range, even for roof top applications, utilities may require real time monitoring and reporting of power generation per the recommendations of IEEE 1547.3 IEEE Guide for Monitoring, Information Exchange, and Control of Distributed Resources Interconnected with Electric Power Systems.
This communication is accomplished using remote terminal units communicating directly with the host utility's energy management systems (EMS). Day Ahead integrates and designs the RTU hardware and peripherals with the client's ac switchgear and Day Ahead Instrumentation manufactures the ready-to-install assembly. As part of the process Day Ahead configures the RTU communications to meet the host utility's standard with the specific network and IP addressing provided to the customer by the utility. Day Ahead works with the utility to complete utility acceptance testing.
CommunicationSolutionsFor grid-tied renewable energy systems, communication plays extremely important role in monitoring, operating, and protecting. Typical communications in the PV system include:
• Data acquisition and transmission between PV system and customer SCADA • MPLS line communication between the PV system RTU and Utility EMS • Communication among multiple PV arrays inside the PV system, e.g., for data acquisition and
DTT tripping
• Communication between the PV system protection relay and non-PV Co-Generators on site. The communication system oftentimes is a mix of infrastructures, such as fiber optics, copper-wire line, power line communications and wireless technologies. Various protocols are required to establish successful communications among different equipment or to be integrated with the existing communication system.
Day Ahead specializes in the following area:
• Program the protective relay/RTU, e.g. SEL relays, SEL 3530 RTAC, NovaTech Orion RTU, for DNP, Modbus RTU / Modbus TCP/IP, Ethernet, Serial, Mirrored-Bit, IEC 61850, etc.
• Provide radio communication site survey and path study. Design wireless P2P and P2MP radio communication. Program radio transceivers /Remote I/O module, e.g. SEL-3031, SEL 2505, etc.
• Industrial router, e.g. Belden GarrettCom DX940 router, for MPLS line ( DDS and T1/E1) communication between the utility EMS and RTU.
CurrentandPotentialTransformersDay Ahead Instrumentation can make the integration of current transformers and potential transformers simple and cost effective. We can design and specify the components custom to your switchgear's configuration saving considerable labor in the field and reducing downtime when critical switchgear is taken out of service for installation of CTs and PTs. If your utility requires monitoring at the medium voltage level Day Ahead can supply fully integrated, pad-mounted assemblies that will meet your utility’s specifications.
StationBatteryandUPSSystemsMany utilities require station battery power to provide instrument power for RTUs and protective relays. These systems include a battery charger/controller and battery bank. In addition, a DC power distribution panel and a charger/controller powered by a 120 VAC circuit used.
Typically, these systems include individual alarm relays for remote indications are available for:
• AC power failure • Charger failure, • Battery discharge alarm • DC ground detection • High-Low DC voltage • End of discharge alarm • DC current limit alarm • Common (summary) alarm
Solar&PVSystemInstrumentationCustom Data Acquisition Systems Day Ahead Instrumentation is a Campbell Scientific value-added reseller (VARs) for data loggers, sensors and transducers, and communications peripherals. Day Ahead can build any combination of sensing, logging and telemetry components you need to meet your data acquisition system requirements. Day Ahead will design the system and then program and test it when it is built. Day Ahead can either design from your performance specifications or can provide complete specification and integration of your data acquisition system (DAS). If your design demands specialized power system instrumentation and controls such as current and voltage sensing, remote trip, custom ground fault detection or integration into the host site SCADA system, Day Ahead can meet your needs. If you need environmental parameters other than irradiance Day Ahead can source and integrate almost any sensor or transducer into your DAS design.
Portable Data Acquisition Systems For PV system performance verification and system efficiency calculations, Day Ahead has developed a portable data acquisition system capable of achieving a high accuracy irradiance and temperature data set. A typical system will include a Campbell Scientific data logger with environmental sensors to monitor the two key environmental parameters, plane-of-array (POA) irradiance and PV module cell temperature, which are required to calculate the PV system array output. POA irradiance is measured with a Kipp & Zonen CMP11 thermopile pyranometer which is classified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a secondary standard instrument which has an achievable uncertainty of 2%, with a 95 percent confidence level. These devices are far more accurate than typical photodiode based pyranometers commonly used in commissioning and system monitoring. The system's ac production over the relevant time period is measured directly from the revenue grade meters on site. If revenue grade metering is not available, or does not have the resolution desired by the client, Day Ahead can install a temporary power/energy metering system with output recorded directly by the data logger. Day Ahead processes the measured irradiance and temperature data to calculate performance ratios (system efficiency) in accordance with the client's contract terms and can provide additional system performance insight through data analysis and graphical representation. The data Day Ahead acquires can also be used to verify the performance of any 3rd party on-site data acquisition system (DAS). Many contracts depend upon the on-site DAS for production adjustments. However, the data from the DAS cannot be relied upon without on-site verification. Day Ahead’s system can provide that verification.
Kipp & Zonen CMP 11 Product Specification ISO 9060 Classification Secondary Standard
Directional error (up to 80 ° with 1000 W/m² beam) < 10 W/m²
Temperature dependence of sensitivity (-10 ºC to +40 ºC) < 1 %
Operating temperature range -40 °C to +80 °C
Maximum solar irradiance 4000 W/m²
Field of view 180°
Day Ahead Instrumentation DAI09 Product Specifications Thermistor element BetaTherm 100K6A1B
Accuracy tolerance ±0.2°C over 0° to 50°C range
The Kipp & Zonen CMP11 uses a broadband thermopile sensing element with a flat spectral response. A typical pyranometer using a silicon photodiode has a stated uncertainty of ±5%. This uncertainty is in addition to the uncertainty of its calibration reference. Very often today we see contract obligations referencing performance
guarantees, even for small to medium size commercial systems. For example, contract bonuses or liquidated damages are based on simulations of system production. Those simulations are fundamentally dependent upon the irradiance measurement. Hence, it is more than justified to demand a high accuracy irradiance sensor. Irradiance is the key parameter used in determining energy production and efficiency of a PV system. If you rely on your data acquisition system provider or on your installation contractor to simulate what your system should be producing, you are most likely relying on a silicon pyranometer for irradiance measurements. That device could well be reading at the low end of its stated accuracy and hence underestimate the amount of sunlight hitting the array by 5% or more. This would result in a simulation that will suggest that the PV system is producing 5% more power than it really is. The CMP11 is traceable and repeatable in reference to the WMO secondary standards. Even if performance is not tied directly to financial incentives, benchmarks established at commissioning provide a basis for expectations of production for the life of the system. Day Ahead's portable data logger is designed for high accuracy and precise temporal resolution measurements. The Day Ahead portable data logger is a fully integrated, autonomous system, with remote cell phone data retrieval, and PV powered battery system. It can be deployed for a single day or for months at a time.
Remote Site Monitoring Day Ahead has the capability to design, manufacture, and program instrumentation suites for any application. We have extensive experience in both remote monitoring systems and instrumentation which is integrated into existing SCADA systems. The monitoring station at the Jakobshavn Isbrae Glacier, Ilulissat, Greenland (photo below) is an example of PV and wind instrument power and power management provided by Day Ahead Instrumentation. (Photo courtesy New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.)
è Notes on the strategic partnership between NEO and DAI
NEO Virtus Engineering, Inc. and Day Ahead Instrumentation, LLC, separate companies under common ownership, serve the needs of the commercial, industrial and utility scale solar industry for instrumentation and controls. Together we supply complete turnkey solutions for solar power applications. NEO Virtus Engineering (NEO) provides design, specification and programming. Day Ahead Instrumentation (DAI) manufactures instrumentation and control hardware. Together NEO and DAI provide one-stop-shopping for power measurements and control integration.
