With decades of experience across Hydro, Energy from Waste and Biomass maintenance and operations, EcoPowerSoft CEO Dan Pickett has seen first-hand how plant performance evolves, and where it can quietly slip. In this conversation, he reflects on why being data-rich doesn’t always mean being in control, and what it really takes to turn visibility into genuine operational certainty.

1) We hear “data-rich” a lot in Energy from Waste and biomass. Does more data automatically mean better control?

Well, not automatically, no. It definitely means we can see more, and that’s a big step forward. But visibility and certainty aren’t the same thing. I’ve seen plenty of plants with dashboards everywhere, but decisions still get made late because the data isn’t joined up, trusted in the moment, or clear enough to act on without a debate.

2) So why do performance surprises still happen in highly instrumented plants?

Because most issues don’t show up with a drum roll, they tend to creep in quietly. It could be a small variation here, a subtle shift there, something that sits within tolerance until it doesn’t. By the time it hits availability, cost, or a nasty week of firefighting, everyone can explain it in hindsight, often because an experienced engineer had already sensed something wasn’t quite right. The trick is spotting it early enough to change the story to turn visibility into operational certainty.

3) That’s a nice phrase; what does “turning visibility into operational certainty” actually mean day to day?

It means moving from “we can report what happened” to “we can see what’s changing early enough to actually do something about it.” Day to day, it’s fewer grey areas or arguments over which number is right. More shared understanding across operations, maintenance and leadership about what normal looks like and what needs attention before it becomes a problem.

4) Where does false confidence creep in?

Usually in the quiet moments. When nothing is obviously broken, the plant looks stable and the reporting says you’re broadly where you should be. Too often, people look at a plant that’s running as it should and think that’s job done. That can be reassuring, but it can also mask early optimisation opportunities or emerging constraints. False confidence absolutely isn’t about people being careless. It’s about complex systems giving you “good enough” signals that don’t always show what’s coming next. A green light on a panel might turn amber on you with no warning!

5) You mentioned experienced people interpreting what systems don’t always connect. Is that a good thing or a risk?

It’s both. Good operators and engineers are worth their weight in gold. They spot patterns, they read between the lines, they know when something feels off. That said, relying on a handful of people to carry that understanding is fragile. People go on holiday or change roles, anything can happen. The opportunity is to keep that expertise, but support it with shared, consistent insight so the plant isn’t dependent on one person’s instincts.

6) What’s the difference between “hindsight” and “foresight” in performance?

Hindsight is being able to explain the last month. Foresight is being able to influence the next week. A report can be technically perfect and still arrive too late to prevent the cost you’re now describing. Foresight is when the signal is clear enough, early enough, that teams can act decisively without waiting for the post-mortem.

7) While we have you, it would be a waste not to talk about AI, seeing as everyone else is. What’s your take, in plain English?

I believe AI can be genuinely useful, but it doesn’t fix weak foundations. It amplifies them. If the signals are inconsistent, the context is missing, or people don’t trust what they’re seeing, AI just helps you get to the wrong answer faster. The organisations that get value from advanced analytics are the ones that first make their operational insight reliable and repeatable.

8) Before we wrap up, what’s your personal take on all this? Is there an optimistic outlook?

Absolutely. The potential is already there with Energy from Waste and biomass plants generating a huge amount of information every second. The next step isn’t piling on more data or more noise. Rather, it’s converting what you already have into earlier insight, shared understanding, and confident decision-making. When that happens, performance becomes calmer, more predictable, and less dependent on heroics, which is when operators really start to feel in control for the right reasons.