Top 10 Reasons Power Generators Need the Visual Analytics Module by Power Settlements

1. Single View of the Business. No other application allows you to visualize your entire generation portfolio like our Visual Analytics Module’s smart, simple design. From ISO/RTO data to internal meter data and gen cost data, all generator dispatch components are shown in a single, easy-to-view interactive graphical screen.

2. Get Everyone on the Same Page. Literally. Our Visual Analytics Module is the only software application that can be deployed across all the business users and that actually brings everyone together to focus on the same thing and at the same time. Plant operators and dispatchers, schedulers, front-office traders, mid-office analysts, back-office settlements analysts, and executive management directors through CEOs – within seconds of looking at our interactive graphical screen, everyone in the organization can easily understand what is happening and has happened to their units, and how to improve P&L.

3. Visual Analytics Natively Analyzes One Specific Item – Generation Dispatch and Performance. There are literally dozens of BI tools out there to choose from. However, they don’t understand the math and nuanced relationships between all the data that goes into power generation – market awards, minute-by-minute dispatch instructions, generation outages, start-ups and shut-downs, meter data, 5-minute to hourly LMPs, settlements and re-settlements, etc. Sure they can show you some pretty graphs, but the other generic BI tools are not built to view all of this data in one screen. You can certainly use 3^rd party BI tools on top of our database as a complimentary solution. However, only our Visual Analytics Module functionality is built natively into a single screen that is pre-built for reviewing all of the components of generator dispatch.

4. Laser Focus: the Where, When, Why and by How Much. Applying your company-specific business rules that only apply at specific plants, at certain times, under certain conditions is like having a laser beam shoot off every time something out of the ordinary occurs that costs the business money or benefits the bottom line. We call these automated business rules, where these pre-defined events are automatically flagged and pinpointed for the users. And every time the business rules fire, individuals can drill-down to explain the “where”, “when”, “why” and “by how much” and then share the results with the rest of the organization. It’s proven to be such a powerful tool, we are thinking about requiring safety goggles.

5. Every Plant is Different. We understand that every generation plant is different and has its own unit characteristics. With the Visual Analytics Module, users are able to drill-down into a plant’s master file information, including PMIN, PMAX, ramp rates, ancillary services that they are certified for, fuel types, etc.

6. But can You Show Me Data in Real Time. It’s true that a successful, efficient, and profitable generation operation is dependent on a team effort coming together with lots of individual contributors doing their jobs and fast! So the Visual Analytics Module also has a Real-Time screen, that provides your dispatches and LMPs in real-time, so they can be responsive to changing market conditions.  Front-office may change plans on a moment’s notice, the ISOs can verbally dispatch generators, a plant can go-off line – but everyone can respond immediately with our Visual Analytics Module.

7. Find the Needle without Looking through the Haystack. We call it “analysis for the non-analyst.” The Visual Analytics Module takes you right to what you want to see and fast. You don’t have to crunch the numbers, consolidate spreadsheets, cross-reference all the different systems, go out to websites and make your own calculations. We do that for you. What you want to find is already done, right in front of you with all the underlying data. It’s the reason that the Visual Analytics Module is used by generator dispatchers and schedulers to General Managers and CEOs. It’s the perfect interactive dashboard for the entire organization to use.

8. Versions, Versions Everywhere. Our Visual Analytics Module provides a single point of truth – even when there are multiple versions of the same data to choose from. We know that the organized power markets involve multiple settlement cycles and republishing of prices. The Visual Analytics Module is pre-built to allow the users to look at data from the current day, prior day, and from the different settlement cycles. Data versioning gives the users the flexibility to compare different versions of the data over time.

9. Fast Analysis. According to our customers, we have the fastest application speed in the business, and that gives our end-users more time to focus on analysis and right away. Whether you have one generator or more than 100 generators in your portfolio, you can expect screen refreshes to take 1 to 2 seconds, for viewing data down to the 5-minute level, even for databases terabytes in size containing several years of data.

10. Can it Make Me Money? Let’s face it. There are only two types of software systems on the market: those that cost you money and those that make you money. Our Visual Analytics Module has proven to be a money maker. The interactive graphical analysis saves our users tons of time and the automated flagging of pre-defined business rules immediately point out exceptions to the users that lead to improved operations and approved disputes. After using the Visual Analytics Module, our customers are reporting high ROIs, with some customers reporting a full ROI in as few as 6 months. That’s a great return on investment.

To view a description of theVisual Analytics Module click here: https://powersettlements.com/visual-analytics-module