Clarke Energy Deploys GE’s myPlant* Asset Performance Management Solution on More than 170 Jenbacher Gas Engines in France

Faced with the growing scarcity of fossil-fuel reserves and fuel poverty, Dalkia, part of the EDF Group, has worked to create a “greener” energy mix. As part of this initiative, GE (NYSE: GE) and Dalkia have worked together for more than 20 years with over 170 of GE’s Jenbacher gas engines—totaling more than 320 megawatts—installed in Dalkia’s cogeneration and district heating applications, including municipalities and hospitals. The companies today announced that, through GE’s distributor Clarke Energy, more than one-third of Dalkia’s Jenbacher gas engines were recently equipped with GE’s myPlant* Asset Performance Management (APM) solution. In just one heating season, the fleet of engines could power nearly 240,000 French households, resulting in lower carbon dioxide emissions—which equates to taking nearly 100,000 European cars off the road annually.

“In line with the energy transition framework, Dalkia’s main goals are to improve energy performance and identify local resources to promote decentralized production while providing energy savings to our customers,” said Christian Gournet, senior engine expert at Dalkia’s Technical Direction. “By using GE’s myPlant APM solution, it will help us increase annual uptime of our customers’ plants and expand annual energy production. This increases the availability of our customers’ assets.”

GE’s myPlant APM solution for gas engines is a Digital Internet solution aimed at improving uptime and efficiency, reducing life cycle costs and driving operating performance and profitability. It provides a set of tools for advanced data management, predictive analytics, troubleshooting and remote control to reduce maintenance costs of customers’ power plants. The myPlant APM platform uses secure, centralized cloud storage to collect the data from customers’ Jenbacher gas engines, driven equipment and balance of plant by regularly transmitting sensor data streams, control alarms and operational data. Depending on the myPlant package and access level, customers and service providers are provided with several capabilities from basic visibility to their fleet to advanced monitoring and analytics-enabled diagnostic capabilities.

“By using GE’s myPlant APM solution for gas engines, Dalkia will be able to predict engine downtime and coordinate maintenance tasks during that time, allowing them to save on costs,” said Didier Lartigue, managing director of Clarke Energy’s French operations. “Through condition-based maintenance, Dalkia also will be able to plan preventive service events based on the remaining lifetime of key components, instead of relying on operating hours, and machine data enables Dalkia to gain the real-time intelligence and batch algorithmic analytics needed for making better decisions to achieve desired outcomes and increase the uptime of its assets.”

“District heating networks, municipalities and hospitals rely on reliable heat and power. Although Dalkia conducts preventive and corrective maintenance work on its Jenbacher gas engines, engine uptime, productivity and reduced maintenance costs are key to increased profitability,” said Margherita Adragna, general manager, services for GE’s Distributed Power. “GE’s myPlant APM solution allows Dalkia to enhance the performance of its customers’ facilities, and the dedicated mobile app gives Dalkia a better ‘on-the-go’ experience to monitor its Jenbacher assets anytime and anywhere.”

In June 2013, GE, Clarke Energy, Dalkia and French waste management and services company, Véolia Propreté, celebrated the inauguration of the new Electr’od landfill gas-powered cogeneration plant in Plessis-Gassot, and in 2014, Plessis-Gassot became the first town in France to rely on district heating fueled by biogas. The 17.3-megawatt (MW) facility is the country’s most powerful landfill gas-fueled power plant, featuring 10 of GE’s Ecomagination qualified Jenbacher gas engines to generate renewable electricity and heat for residents and businesses. These are 10 of the 170+ Jenbacher gas engines now equipped with GE’s myPlant APM solution.