Case Study: Portland General Electric achieves reliable peak-load capacity and major cost savings with Wonderware

Powering Oregon's electricity demand with a little help from Wonderware

Portland General Electric (PGE), which supplies electricity to about 2 million people in the Portland, Oregon area, needed a reliable, cost‑effective way to meet peak demand and reduce exposure to volatile wholesale prices that can spike dramatically. The utility also wanted a solution that could be reused across its sites and that would improve efficiency and emissions performance while linking diverse customer‑owned generation assets.

PGE deployed AVEVA System Platform and InTouch to integrate its GenOnSys Dispatchable Standby Generation (DSG) program, aggregating 32 generators across 21 customer sites (about 45 MW) plus fuel cells, microturbines and cogeneration into a single virtual power plant controlled from the EMS/SCADA center. The system provides single‑click dispatch, distributed real‑time monitoring, live video and IEEE‑61850‑based alarming, automated notifications, and scalable operations handled by a small team — enabling peak shaving, avoiding expensive wholesale purchases, lowering costs and increasing grid reliability.

Portland General Electric

Mark Osborn

Distributed Resources Manager