Advanced Energy Management

In recent years, the telecommunications industry has been in the forefront of technological advances. This has allowed the operating companies to offer their customers an ever increasing array of features. The power plant, however, has not seen much change in many years. In trying to design new systems, today´s power engineer finds that he has two opposing criteria - reliability vs cost. He must sustain a high degree of reliability while contending with the increasing constraints of capital and operating expense. Adding to the problem is the continuous reduction in available manpower to operate and maintain the equipment. The engineer has come to realize that current digital control technology can offer a cost effective solution to his design challenge. With a properly designed microprocessor based telemetry system, better information can be maintained as to the current operating condition of the power equipment and any other energy consuming device in the facility. This, coupled with retained historical data and analytical methods, can provide the tools to make sound engineering or operating decisions. Or by taking it a step further, the information can be processed through algorithms and appropriate control action taken automatically.