DC Power Plant Monitor Configuration and Acceptance Testing

The issue to be discussed in this paper is how to configure the monitoring system in a DC power plant to deliver what is most beneficial to the user. As monitoring systems get more complex and offer more functionality, there is often confusion within the user community about what is necessary and useful. All too often these sophisticated systems are not used to a fraction of their capabilities. The thrust of this paper is to explore the various features of modern monitoring systems and the benefits they offer to the user. Today, DC power plants are often installed by third party installation vendors. When there are no specifics given in the scope of work, the installation vendor does precisely what he was contracted to do, install the monitor, not configure it. This paper will conclude with suggestions on how to define specific configuration parameters to be included in the scope of work