Informationin this article is drawn from the Industrial Energy Accelerator, the website of a UNIDO-led network of international initiatives working to inspire global action on industrial energy efficiency.
An energy management system (EnMS) is a framework for energy consumers, including industrial, commercial and public sector organizations, to manage their energy use. It helps companies identify opportunities to adopt and improve energy-saving technologies, including those that do not necessarily require high capital investment. In most cases, the successful implementation of an EnMS requires specialized expertise and staff training.
According to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an energy management system involves developing and implementing an energy policy, setting achievable targets for energy use, and designing action plans to reach them and measure progress. This might include implementing new energy-efficient technologies, reducing energy waste or improving current processes to cut energy costs.
There are now many hundreds of examples of industrial and other organizations that have significantly improved their energy performance through the implementation of an EnMS. They have succeeded in reducing energy costs; reducing other related costs; reducing their exposure to volatile energy prices and often; more importantly, in getting better control over their technical processes and improving productivity and process stability. If your organization is willing to put in the effort and commitment to implement an effective EnMS, it can help to transform many aspects of your technical processes.
Organizations that are successful in implementing EnMSs generally have a committed energy manager. Such managers are able to overcome the inevitable obstacles encountered in what is essentially a change management process. They are successful in getting support from top management and in persuading their fellow energy team members to deliver on the promise of a systematic approach to energy management. Support, leadership and commitment from the top are essential.
An energy management system (EMS) is a system of computer-aided tools used by operators of electric utility grids to monitor, control, and optimize the performance of the generation or transmission system. Also, it can be used in small scale systems like microgrids.[1][2]
The computer technology is also referred to as SCADA/EMS or EMS/SCADA. In these respects, the terminology EMS then excludes the monitoring and control functions, but more specifically refers to the collective suite of power network applications and to the generation control and scheduling applications.
Manufacturers of EMS also commonly supply a corresponding dispatcher training simulator (DTS). This related technology makes use of components of SCADA and EMS as a training tool for control center operators.
Up to the early 1990s it was common to find EMS systems being delivered based on proprietary hardware and operating systems. Back then EMS suppliers such as Harris Controls (now GE), Hitachi, Cebyc, Control Data Corporation, Siemens and Toshiba manufactured their own proprietary hardware. EMS suppliers that did not manufacture their own hardware often relied on products developed by Digital Equipment, Gould Electronics and MODCOMP. The VAX 11/780 from Digital Equipment was a popular choice amongst some EMS suppliers. EMS systems now rely on a model based approach. Traditional planning models and EMS models were always independently maintained and seldom in synchronism with each other. Using EMS software allows planners and operators to share a common model reducing the mismatch between the two and cutting model maintenance by half. Having a common user interface also allows for easier transition of information from planning to operations.
As proprietary systems became uneconomical, EMS suppliers began to deliver solutions based on industry standard hardware platforms such as those from Digital Equipment (later Compaq, then HP), IBM and Sun. The common operating system then was either DEC OpenVMS or Unix. By 2004, various EMS suppliers including Alstom, ABB and OSI had begun to offer Windows based solutions. By 2006 customers had a choice of UNIX, Linux or Windows-based systems. Some suppliers including ETAP, NARI, PSI-CNI and Siemens continue to offer UNIX-based solutions. It is now common for suppliers to integrate UNIX-based solutions on either the Sun Solaris or IBM platform. Newer EMS systems based on blade servers occupy a fraction of the space previously required. For instance, a blade rack of 20 servers occupy much the same space as that previously occupied by a single MicroVAX server.
An energy management system (EMS) is a set of tools combining software and hardware that optimally distributes energy flows between connected distributed energy resources (DERs). Companies use energy management systems to optimize the generation, storage and/or consumption of electricity to lower both costs and emissions and stabilize the power grid.
An EMS collects, analyzes and visualizes data in real time and dynamically controls energy flows. An energy management system is the building block of future energy use cases as it intelligently monitors and controls a variety of energy assets within a household, building or larger site.
A rule-based energy management system focuses on designing and implementing the logic governing energy distribution among connected DERS. It relies on established rules and predefined guidelines to make real-time decisions about energy allocation. The rule-based approach ensures operational stability, making it suitable for scenarios where straightforward decision parameters can achieve effective energy management.
A forecast-based energy management system, on the other hand, specializes in crafting advanced optimization strategies for complex energy management scenarios that rule-based EMS cannot address. This system aims to enhance profitability, computational efficiency, and security in a changing energy landscape. By analyzing various forecasting strategies, considering factors like model types, data availability, and optimization frequency, this approach helps prosumers make informed decisions about energy usage and production.
With smart meters and communication protocols like EEBus, an EMS facilitates real-time data exchange and enables coordinated energy management of white goods (e.g. washing machine, fridge, dishwasher). The EMS takes the total load of white goods into account to then adjust the energy consumption of heavy consumers (e.g. heat pumps and electric vehicles) accordingly. The EMS can also consider electricity prices and encourage operation at optimal times to reduce electricity costs and alleviate stress on power grids during peak periods. By aggregating data from various white goods, users are able to monitor consumption patterns and make more informed decisions about when they use devices.
EMS solutions allow sites with rooftop solar panels to maximize self-sufficiency and lower costs. For example, the EMS uses historical consumption patterns, forecasts and setpoints to ensure that rather than being curtailed, surplus solar power is used to charge or power other devices, such as a battery or electric vehicle (EV). It also feeds electricity back to the grid when prices are high and draws from the grid when prices are low to keep costs to a minimum. An EMS can be configured to reach different goals, for example to minimize costs or to minimize emissions.
In this context, having an energy management system becomes crucial, as it enables the seamless coordination and control of distributed energy resources and their electricity flows across multiple sectors. An EMS maximizes the utilization of energy and minimizes waste to contribute to a more sustainable and integrated energy landscape.
An EMS provides real-time monitoring, data analysis, key performance indicator (KPI) measurement, and visualization of energy consumption and savings. This enables more informed and effective decision-making to enhance efficiency, increase sustainability and optimize performance across an entire site.
By optimizing the utilization of each asset, an EMS ensures that costs are constantly minimized: electricity is drawn from power grids during cheap periods, locally generated electricity is maximized, and consumption is aligned with optimal weather and off-peak demand. In addition, use cases like dynamic load management and peak shaving ensure that power is optimally used within existing grid infrastructure. This eradicates or minimizes the need for costly grid extensions and significantly lowers grid fees.
By employing an EMS, businesses gain a competitive edge in an evolving energy landscape characterized by digitization, decarbonization, and decentralization. An EMS enables efficient energy resource management, the alignment of consumption and sustainability goals, and lowered costs. It seamlessly integrates variable renewable energy (VRE) sources into energy systems, to enable faster scaling of clean energy projects and reduced reliance on fossil fuels.
Adaptable and extendible features are the key to accommodating constantly changing regulation and customer preferences. For example, rising and increasingly volatile electricity prices, combined with new regulation that pushes dynamic tariffs, has caused a significant push to time of use tariffs. Companies with an extendible EMS can more easily adopt new solutions as the market ripens for such complex use cases. In doing so, businesses can tailor their strategies to address customer needs, thereby enhancing agility and bolstering their market positions.
With over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions attributed to the energy sector, an EMS serves as a powerful tool in the fight against carbon emission. For one, an energy management system enables demand response, allowing businesses to curtail energy usage during peak hours, thereby decreasing reliance on fossil fuel-based power generation.
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