Communication is key

«Social network of things» allows “energy things” (devices, equipment) to communicate with each other and their owner, exchanging all the necessary information with each other.

You can communicate with your devices:

• Receive complete information about the energy consumption of all key devices in real time within the same system, as well as data on the indicators affecting energy consumption.
• Combine sensor data with other company performance indicators
• Conduct analysis, generate reports, export data to other systems
• Monitor key performance indicators

The “Energy Management Droid” –  the artificial intelligence and analytical support system – developed by Foresight Strategic Energy Development Fund is designed to manage the energy infrastructure of an enterprise with minimal staff intervention. The key task of the system is to optimise energy cost and reliability while minimizing the involvement of management of the firm in non-core tasks related to energy.

The «Energy managing droid» system allows to automatically detect excess energy consumption, identify equipment problems and manage energy consumption storage and generation on the micro level. For various devices, the droid can work in two modes: a consultant (advising the staff on optimal actions) and an autopilot

The energy managing droid’s list of «duties»

• Identify and eliminate energy waste. Identify inefficient and excessive consumption of energy resources (‘Energy waste), recognize the cause of this waste and eliminate it.
• Optimise the load profile using all available resources demand response and peak shaving recourses, energy storage devices/UPS devices, reserve power generation etc.
• Dispatch energy storage and allocate battery resources among multiple tasks (back up power, demand response, peak shaving etc.)
• Maximise renewable power generation, optimise the operation of on-site distributed generation
• Trade resources with other market participients
• Determine the optimal tariff plan, take and send the meter readings to the utilities company, check the accuracy of the invoices issued
• Monitor the equipment condition, prevent failures, provide operation in modes that reduce equipment deterioration, reduce operating costs, monitor the results of work performed by service organizations Report a problem to the staff and give recommendations, supervise implementation and generate a report for management
• Provide reports, monitor performance in complying with established targets
• Monitor compliance with business-critical indicators (e.g. climate quality in the customer zone),
• Monitor and detect problems in business processes and technologies

Why do you need demand response?

• Reducing capacity-linked payments
• Increase the available power reserve for free
• Avoid investments in grid infrustruture reinforcement
• Avoid overloading internal networks
• Increase your share of renewable power consumption,
• Reduce capital costs when planning on-site power generation
• Reduce on-site generation cost 

How load management system works

The droid («artificial intelligence system») makes a consumption forecast and based on energy cost and capacity data over the chosen time period, determines the optimal consumption scheduled for the company.

The manager sets limits for key performance indicators, so that changes in the load profile do not affect the main production processes. For example, the minimum and maximum room temperature, the maximum temperature in the freezer, the minimum temperature of hot water in the storage tank etc.

For instance, on a summer day the system predicts that the peak consumption in the power system will be at 5pm. It preliminarily lowers the room temperature by 2 degrees. At 5pm, it reduces the performance of climate systems, decreasing the electricity consumption, while monitoring the temperature in the room and other monitored indicators within the limits. After the peak has passed (after 6pm), the system decreases the room temperature again, gradually bringing it back to normal, without exceeding the set level of consumption.

How does the droid know what volume load the system can handle?

In the example above, the system calculated the amount of load reduction in advance. This calculation was made on the basis of the energy consumption model or the “digital twin” of the object (building) and other elements (refrigeration, water heater etc.). When the system is deployed, we construct a digital model of energy consumption. Based on the data of the actual performance of the indicators, the model is adjusting parameters for a best fit (the learning process).

What is smart energy storage?

Most businesses own some sort of energy storage devices for back-up power. Our the smart “Hybrid” energy storage device can at the same cost deliver the same back-up capacity while operating as a connected energy storage device and using the unitised “free” battery resource to cut energy cost, increase peak capacity, integrate renewable and distributed power generation.

Smart energy storage can do multiple tasks:

• Reduce electricity cost by peack saving and demand response
• Operate as source of back up power
• Boost your power capacity when needed
• Operate in isolated mode with a local source of back up power generation (“hybrid power generatior”)
• Balance phase loads, compensate reactive power
• Sell serivces to other market participents
• Operate as part of a «vitual energy storage» device (aggregated distributed energy storage)

Intelligent real-time control system allocates the storage resources between different tasks optimising cost and reliability

How does our intelligent energy storage operate?

Artificial intelligence system based on the data received from the sensors and other sources of information in real time:

• Forecasts consumption
• Estimates the probability of a shutdown
• Evaluates the financial and other consequences of a power cut-off
• Estimates the available capacity reserve
• Estimates the savings from changing the load profile

Based on this analysis, the system decides about the allocation of resources.

The user can make manual adjustments and set limits if necessary, e.g.  increasing the share of the storage allocated to backup power.

Небольшие распределенные интеллектуальные накопители способны объединять свой ресурс, формируя “Виртуальный накопитель”.

Стоимость интеллектуального накопителя примерна равна стоимости обычного ИБП, поэтому для предприятий, где требуется или уже установлен обычный ИБП, установка интеллектуального накопителя позволит получить все преимущество системы практически без дополнительных затрат.

В ряде случаев действующие ИБП могут быть модернизированы.

Our experience shows that more than 90% of distributed generation does not use the benefits of commercial dispatch, which results in losing up to 40% of economic effect.

Energy managing droid forms a dispatch schedule for on site generation based on market prices, the forecast of own consumption sensor data, demand response resources and production cost, so as to ensure lowest operating cost.

The droid takes into account not only direct variable costs, but deterioration of generating equipment allowing to extent useful life of equipment and avoid equipment failures.

“Plug’n’play grid connection” is a concept we developed to make it easier for consumers to gain additional capacity for business development.

Today, technologies of the internet of energy allow:

• Decrease new grid connection cost, and the cost of behind the meter energy infrastructure
• Gain extra peak capacity without increasing capacity obtained from the grid
• Significantly accelerate the process of increasing available capacity

Our practice shows that:

• Volumes of grid connection are overestimated by at least two times in 70% of the cases
• Cost of on-site energy infrastructure can be decreased by up to 30%.
• In 40% of the cases, business can avoid paying for extra grid capacity by optimising the use of available resources.