Leveraging the Internet of Things and Analytics for Smart Energy Management

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Exploring the Possibilities: Internet of Things and Analytics In the age of the Internet of Things (IoT), each device can be connected to the internet or intranet, or to other devices on the network. This enables the collection of a variety of information from the devices, including data on operations, configuration, energy consumption, and the power factor. The IoT enables devices to make smart decisions based upon analytical rules that serve the purpose of the devices best. The devices can send, receive, store, and leverage information, sending the information individually to another device or broadcasting it to all devices. Figure 1 illustrates such a set-up. Chiller data Lighting data Air handling units data Hub room/ workstation data Different sections in the building One specific section of the building LAN Connectivity Energy management system application on a central computer Temperature sensors Illumination sensors Humidity sensors Fire sensors Figure 1: IoT based energy management system in buildings Data scientists can use analytics and study historical data usage patterns in the building. They can create scorecards and algorithms that allow individual devices to make better decisions about operational parameters in different scenarios. The scorecards and algorithms might also govern the flow of data from the devices to different destinations. Depending on the building, data scientists might create individual scorecards and algorithms for individual devices, or joint algorithms for a set of devices that are supposed to operate together in a certain order. Data from each device can be stored in a central repository for future reference. While the communication between devices may be synchronous or asynchronous based upon the requirement, a central intelligence unit such as the energy management system serves as a facilitator. The EMS can also help control the devices when direct communication between devices fails to serve the required purpose. In such cases, the system optimizes the operational parameters and broadcasts them to the respective devices over the LAN. On receiving the new instructions from the EMS, the devices change their operational parameters accordingly. 6
In addition to assets and devices, different sensors are also connected to the internet through the LAN. Sensors for illumination, humidity, occupancy, and temperature transmit information in real time, enabling different assets to leverage the information. The EMS also receives and stores this information, and leverages it to make smart decisions. Making Sense of Data A host of analytical solutions is emerging in the area of energy management backed by the increased ability of the IoT to connect devices, collect data from devices, and distribute data. These solutions leverage historical patterns of occupancy, people movement, temperature, provision of natural lighting, energy consumption, and other information collected by smart meters, sensors, actuators, and controllers. Below are two scenarios where analytics enables smart insights for intelligent decision-making. Controlling operational parameters of chillers Commercial chillers operate by circulating chilled water into the rooms' water pipes. In each room, a number of blowers blow air over the chilled water pipes, in turn cooling the air and leading to air conditioning of the room. (The same mechanism is followed by central heaters; the only difference being that the water is heated instead of chilled.) This is a two-stage process of energy expenditure. First, energy is consumed in cooling the water that is then circulated through pipes that run in the rooms. In the second stage, energy is consumed by the blowers that blow air over the water chilled pipes. The ability to maintain a static temperature in a location depends upon a host of factors. These include the occupancy, weather conditions, chiller parameters, the temperature of chilled water, the blowers in the room, and other factors such as heat-producing items in the room. The IoT brings together information from all these controllable and uncontrollable factors for all sections in the building. The EMS then makes real-time decisions about the number of blowers to be switched on to maintain the required temperature in each room and achieve ergonomic comfort. However, the EMS needs smart algorithms to leverage the data and make intelligent real-time decisions. A set of scorecards also needs to be developed. One set of scorecards needs to consider the environmental conditions of the building and inform the EMS about the amount of energy required to chill the water to the required temperature. The EMS then computes the operational parameters at which the chiller should operate and sends this information to the chiller, enabling it to operate efficiently. The second set of scorecards needs to consider environmental conditions, occupancy patterns, information about the room, the number of blowers available, and past energy consumption patterns. Using this information, the scorecards can predict the amount of energy required to maintain a specific temperature in the room. Separate scorecards will be required for each room and each chiller. Figure 2 illustrates this process. 7
Page 1 and 2: Business Process Services White Pap
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