# Intersection of Big Data and Green Tech

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2019/09/intersection-of-big-data-and-green-tech/
- Published: 2019-09-24T01:59:06-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

EDP Renewables (EDPR) is the 3rd largest renewable energy company in the United 
States. It is leveraging technology to harness the power of big data. All with efforts
resulting in more than $200 million in ROI in the first 24 months of implementation.

EDPR is the owner of 29 [wind farms](https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/11/solar-wind-farms-will-power-googles-data-centers/).
It was struggling to integrate external and internal data that it collected. This
data was weather patterns,[ energy](https://greenlivingguy.com/2022/08/10-largest-wind-project-development-2022/)
grid information, turbine performance. They wanted to get smart and integrate this
data within its systems.

![Green tech with wind farms ](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/
2019/09/pexels-photo-414943.jpg?resize=150%2C150&quality=52&ssl=1)

That’s when the company turned to Appian, a platform for custom software development,
to create the COBRA (COllaBoRAtion) system, a company-wide initiative that enables:

![Big data ](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pexels-
photo-236093.jpg?resize=150%2C150&quality=52&ssl=1)

_Prioritization_: Analyzes real-time data for issues encountered. All in order to
determine an issue’s ability to affect the company’s bottom line.

_Geographic Dispersion & Department Specialization:_ Allows collaboration and assigns
internal resources for wind turbine issues, allowing departments to weigh in on 
the ramifications (technical, engineering, wind resource assessment, environmental,
safety, procurement, legal, regulatory, and others) of problems, as well as potential
solutions.

![Wind energy](https://i0.wp.com/greenlivingguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pexels-
photo-414837.jpg?resize=736%2C491&quality=52&ssl=1)

**_Knowledge Retention and Learning:_** Centralizes information generated, creating
a constantly-expanding knowledge base of solutions for future problems, ensuring
rapid problem solving.

EDPR is just one example of how custom-built, enterprise technology solutions are
enabling organizations to harness the power of big data. This therefore streamlines
business processes. Finally  increasing business value and better serving customers.

In EDP’s case, the company enhanced it ability to strategically distribute wind 
energy across Europe, North America, and South America.

See here for recent EDPR case study.