Integration requirements for manufacturing-based Energy Management Systems

There are many types of Energy Management Systems (EMS) that may be found in the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. These systems range from the largest and most complex ones found in power generation and industrial plants down to the smallest and simple systems utilized by the residential consumer of energy. Independent of the magnitude and sophisication of the application, each type of EMS has its own unique requirements depending on the user´s needs. The focus of this paper is on those EMS found in manufacturing plants. Traditionally, manufacturing firms have lacked complex energy monitoring and control systems when compared to the ones frequently found in electrical generating plants. The reason for this is that the primary goal of any manufacturing firm is to cost effectively produce high quality products for its customer and thus energy management often takes a somewhat secondary role to a plant´s production objectives. However, with increasing energy prices and relentless competition in the marketplace, manufacturing firms are taking a closer look not only at energy saving opportunities but even the potential for onsite electrical generation from alternative energy sources. With these initiatives in mind, manufacturing firms are re-examining the functional requirements of their existing EMS and internal power networks to increase efficiency and better integrate with the future external power grid. This paper reviews the current technology level of EMS found in manufacturing firms and typical approaches to improving energy efficiency. The paper also provides a motivating mathematical example illustrating interdependencies that exist amongst multiple manufacturing domains that relate to energy consumption. Finally, various scenarios are presented describing the requirements for a highly integrated EMS capable of providing manufacturing plants with new efficiency and conservation opportunities. Such integration requirements will be better aligned- with the goals of Smart Grid technologies compared to what is achievable with the system architecture of today´s manufacturing-based EMS.