Cloud-based SCADA to integrate renewable energy sites

Siemens has announced that in partnership with automation solution partner Mescada, it will deploy one of Australia’s largest AI-ready, cloud-based SCADA systems in the renewable energy sector for Global Power Generation Australia (GPGA), a company with 1 GW installed capacity in operational wind, hybrid solar storage farms and standalone battery energy storage systems (BESS) in Australia.

The implementation of Siemens’ platform-independent and AI-enabled Simatic WinCC Open Architecture SCADA will connect eight renewable energy generation and storage assets in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory through roughly 300,000 data tags, providing unified, real-time monitoring and control from a centralised control room in Canberra. It is also the plan that the system will directly integrate in a second phase with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), enabling real-time response to grid and market requests.

“The installation of a centralised SCADA system is a significant step forward in our ambitions to scale renewable power generation in Australia, using the best-in-class technology that’s future-ready,” said GPGA’s Chief Operations Officer Gema Deus Vazquez. “As we grow and diversify our renewable energy portfolio in the country, we need robust systems that help build energy resilience, integrate seamlessly into national energy networks and are AI-ready for future. The combination of Mescada’s expertise and Siemens technology ticks all the right boxes and is a big step forward in our growth and sustainability journey.”

The system will provide a single view of multiple sites and the ability to scale the system as GPG continues its expansion plan of growing from 1.4 GW to 3 GW of renewable energy capacity in Australia. The infrastructure will also be set up with generative AI integration for operator assistance and smart node technology for external data and API integration.

“This project sets a new standard for the renewable energy industry in Australia and demonstrates the power of combining our proven SCADA technology with cloud infrastructure,” said Darryl Kaufmann, head of Digital Industries at Siemens Australia and New Zealand. “By unifying control across eight sites with different legacy systems, we’ve created a scalable, future-ready platform that will support GPGA’s ambitious growth plans while ensuring compliance with critical grid regulations.

“As Australia accelerates its energy transition, this project demonstrates how advanced SCADA technology can support grid stability and increase energy security and operational excellence across distributed generation assets. It is also a great example of how, through collaboration, we can all play a part in going beyond just addressing the 1% of emissions Australia is responsible for.”

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