Page 47 - Energize September 2022

TECHNICAL

Smart energy management

By Fabio Monachesi and Michela Zambetti, ABB Electrification

ggressive energy standards and new initiatives tightly regulating sustainability Systems – Requirements with Guidance
reporting are advancing in tandem with the digitalisation revolution. The result is for Use , compliance and avoidance
3
Areal-time data-driven energy management solutions. of penalties for non-compliance is
With its vast number of electric assets and around-the-clock energy requirements, paramount. Nevertheless, energy
the industrial sector is the global energy management market value leader - an estimated management should be embraced, not out
US$12,3-billion in 2021, and forecasted to grow to $17,4-billion by 2030. 1 of necessity, but because it demonstrates
Organisations which recognise the significance of energy management, will benefit by a company’s willingness for accountability.
visualising their energy consumption, tracking and reducing it. ABB Ability Energy Manager Today’s market-leading EMS solutions,
– whether cloud-based or on-site, provides any organisation with the ability to do just that. such as ABB Ability Energy Manager,
simplify this process as engineering
Defining energy management requirements are minimal and system
“Energy management” viewed as a buzzword, summarises the competences required to commissioning is quick (usually within
understand energy flows and performance actions necessary for improvement. However, one day). Available as software-as-a-
upon examination, this broad term describes smaller, inter-linked functions which are a service, it is ready-to-use.
critical part of a stepwise digitalisation transformation. Energy management monitoring helps
The ability to gather accurate, real-time data, leveraging digital technologies, supports industrial facilities fulfill sustainability
the implementation of energy management initiatives and enables companies to make targets, thereby reducing CO₂ emissions
faster decisions. and unlocking further energy savings
ABB designates five functional stages which constitute essential best practices for more easily than systems without digital
energy management, where digital tools play a fundamental role: detect, monitor, analyse, capabilities; savings can lead to ISO 50001
optimise and control. 2 and LEED certification. LEED is a widely
Through detection, facility owners and managers use data from utility bills and used green building rating system.
available building information to benchmark, virtually disaggregating the energy costs to Additionally, operating expenses
identify areas of excess energy consumption. Large datasets and Artificial Intelligence (AI) (OPEX) can be reduced. Data insights help
algorithms support this process. forecast energy usage, thereby increasing
Once a benchmark is set, monitoring follows. By leveraging device connectivity to efficiency by up to 30% and reducing
visualise the historical and real-time energy data of key assets, facility owners and managers costs. ABB Ability Energy Manager
build a clearer picture of the issues to be resolved. Products, such as circuit breakers, delivers a potential payback in less than
meters, relays, EV-chargers, inverters and sensors, linked to an on-site connectivity three years.
infrastructure or dashboard with widgets, are critical.
Once gathered, data is analysed – especially for key performance indicators (KPIs) - and Getting started
output reports are created, enabling saving actions aligned with benchmark targets. Energy Organisations, single- and multi-site
forecasting analytics make this stage easier and more accurate. facilities, which want to initiate steps
Next, asset setpoint scheduling is used to optimise targeted KPIs. Here, smart connected toward energy management benefit
products, power quality converters, uninterrupted power supplies (UPS), transfer switching from a concise assessment of energy
and advanced relays feed into an optimisation engine, enabling those charged with usage. Energy service companies (ESCOs)
delivering energy reductions to improve outcomes. typically perform audits and start creating
With energy management systems and processes in place, control allows the asset actionable reports. Enlisting the support
setpoint to be carefully adjusted for energy efficiency or service continuity strategies. Pre- early on of an expert service provider such
engineered reference architectures with edge controllers and smart connected products, as ABB can pay dividends by maximising
plus on-site distribution energy resources, microgrids, BESS and renewable technologies energy management rapidly. Usually, all
should be considered. available historical site data, data from
By following these stages, organisations can continuously improve energy efficiency facility utility bills, building information
practices. systems and field sensors is required.
ABB’s Energy Manager, with add-
Energy management benefits on and premium service available, has
With the need to manage and lower energy usage across the industrial landscape more provided valuable data-driven insights to
regulated now than ever (the basis for IEC 60364-8-1 and ISO 50001 for Energy Management a variety of industrial facilities (Figure 1).
1-4

energize | September 2022 | 45