Pure Power Sep14

The best power control systems
are equipped with redundant PLC controllers
The typical power system is controlled

by one PLC.
Russelectric power control systems come
standard with dual PLC controls for fully
redundant operation, ensuring no interruption
of control should either malfunction.
Dont settle for less than the best power
control systems Insist on Russelectric.
input #400 at www.csemag.com/information
Made in USA
www.russelectric.com
1-800-225-5250
An Employee-Owned Company
An Equal Oppor tunity Employer
cover story
2 Designing data center

electrical distribution
systems
Designing efcient and reliable data center

electrical systems requires looking through the
eyes of the electrical engineerand the owner.
PUBLICATION SERVICES
1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite 250, Oak Brook, IL 60523
phone: 630-571-4070 fax: 630-214-4504
Jim Langhenry
Co-Founder and Publisher, CFE Media
jlanghenry@cfemedia.com
Elena Moeller-Younger
Marketing Manager
emyounger@cfemedia.com
Steve Rourke
Co-Founder, CFE Media
srourke@cfemedia.com
Paul Brouch
Director of Operations
pbrouch@cfemedia.com
Trudy Kelly
Assistant to the Publisher
tkelly@cfemedia.com
Rick Ellis
Audience Management Director
rellis@cfemedia.com
Kristen Nimmo
Marketing Manager
knimmo@cfemedia.com
Michael Rotz
Print Production Manager
mike.rotz@frycomm.com
CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
Amara Rozgus
Editor in Chief/Content Manager
arozgus@cfemedia.com
Amanda McLeman
Project Manager
amcleman@cfemedia.com
Jack Smith
Managing Editor
jsmith@cfemedia.com
Michael Smith
Creative Director
msmith@cfemedia.com
Managing power
through networked
electrical systems
Engineers should consider the

benefits of networking electrical
systemsmonitoring and
controlling power, its usage, and
how it affects system reliability.
Integrating commercial
buildings, utilities with
the Smart Grid
12
Knowing where and how much

power is needed allows the Smart
Grid to adjust power distribution in
real time. The agility of matching
power demand with power
production minimizes the amount
of power that generating facilities
must dump, and keeps baseload plants running at minimum
capacity.
Mitigating arc
flash hazards
24
Engineers should know about

selecting the appropriate riskreducing strategies to help their
clients ensure compliance with
NEC, NFPA 70E, and OSHA.
PUBLICATION SALES
Midwest
Matt Waddell
312-961-6840
Fax 630-214-4504
mwaddell@cfemedia.com
AL
Patrick Lynch
630-571-4070 x2210
Fax 630-214-4504
plynch@cfemedia.com
West, TX, OK
Tom Corcoran
215-275-6420
Fax 484-631-0598
tcorcoran@cfemedia.com
U.S., Canada
Brian Gross
630-571-4070 x2217
Fax 630-214-4504
bgross@cfemedia.com
Northeast
Richard A. Groth Jr.
774-277-7266
Fax 508-590-0432
rgroth@cfemedia.com
International
Stuart Smith
SSM Global Media Ltd.
+44 208 464 5577
Fax +44 208 464 5588
stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk
Poland/Russia/Czech Republic
Michael Majchrzak
+48 22 852 44 15
Fax +48 22 899 29 48
mike_majchrzak@trademedia.us
Pure Power is published quarterly by CFE Media and is mailed as a supplement with
Consulting-Specifying Engineer and Plant Engineering magazines. Copyright 2014 by CFE Media
LLC. All rights reserved. Editorial offices are located at 1111 W. 22nd Street, Suite 250,
Oak Brook, IL 60523. Phone 630-571-4070.
ON THE COVER:
The photo depicts servers that are part of
a recently built data center on a university
campus. At the time the photo was taken, the
project was almost completed. The servers
are powered through busplugs in the busway
running under the ceiling. The cable trays are
dedicated solely to fiber-optic cable runs.
Courtesy: Jacobs Engineering
www.csemag.com/purepower
PURE POWER / / FALL 2014
FEATURES
PURE POWER // FALL 2014
Cover Story
By Eduard Pacuku, PE, Jacobs, Philadelphia
Designing data center

electrical distribution systems
Designing efficient and reliable data center electrical systems requires looking through the eyes
of the electrical engineerand the owner.
ata centers are among the hottest

developments in the technology
world. The growing needs of the
Internet of Things have forced the
biggest players in the computing world to
spend billions of dollars on new multimegawatt data centers. This boom in data
center construction is largely fueled by the
growing use of cloud services, which has
put a strain on server capacity (see Figure
1). Additionally, data centers are considered
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand the preliminary
considerations of designing
data center electrical distribution systems.
Know how to design efficient
data centers that can also accommodate growth.
Identify the codes and standards that apply to designing
data center electrical distribution systems.
mission critical when their operation is

of importance to organizations economic
or functional needs. Even a disruption of
a few seconds in the operation of certain
types of mission critical data centers could
cost millions of dollars.
This article explores data center
design through the eyes of both the
owner and the electrical engineer. It also
discusses the key components of data
centers and touches on the codes and
standards that apply to data centers and
their components.
PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
Data centers, many having servers as their main components, need electrical power to survive. It is, therefore, only
natural that any talk about building a data center should
begin with figuring out the electrical needs and how to
satisfy those needs.
Capacity: Before deciding anything else, the owner
must decide the capacity of the data center (in megawatts).
In previous planning efforts, it was common to use W/sq ft.
However, today it is more common to discuss kW per rack,
which may vary from 5 to 60 kW. This power concentration
per rack can also drive cooling system type and capacity,
which must be planned for in the capacity. The owner also
needs to consider future capacity.
Another big decision is to determine the level of
redundancy. Reliability is very important for data centers, and disruptions are costly. But the cost of building a
data center increases significantly with higher reliability.
Therefore, the owner should decide where to draw the
Figure 1: Increasing demand for cloud services is putting a strain on
server capacity. This photo shows data center servers while they are being
configured and wired. All graphics courtesy: Jacobs Engineering
Cover Story
factors. Many organizations used to have large consolidated data centers, which led to choosing a Tier III or Tier
IV system. Also, many organizations involved in financial industries choose Tier III and Tier IV systems. Other
organizations choose to have multiple data centers that can
handle data needs when another center goes down, leading
to an ability to use lower Tier systems.
Usage: Data centers are also categorized according to
their usage. These include data centers serving a private
domain, such as a corporation or

line, and determine how much
a government entity; data centers
risk is acceptable.
serving a public domain, such as
Auxiliary power: After the data
Internet providers; and multi-user
center capacity is decided, the
data centers.
facility power must be computed.
Power distribution: Currently,
The facility power includes data
there is debate about what kind of
center heating and cooling. A
electrical power to use to feed data
focus of recent years is to make the
centers. Should it be ac or dc? Each
facility (non-data) power as low
has merits. Recently, dc power has
as possible to improve efficienreceived increasing consideration
cies and lower operating costs. To
because data center computing
address the efficiency of facility
equipment uses dc power. Having
power within a data center, the
dc power distribution eliminates
term power usage effectiveness
the need for transformers and
(PUE) was coined. The closer to
ac-to-dc converters on the server
unity the PUE is, the smaller the
floor. Using dc also eliminates harnonproducing facility power is.
monics because there is no switchYears ago, it was normal to acing of power. In addition, using dc
count for the facility and cooling
eliminates
conversion steps, which
load as being half of the total powFigure 2: For many years, ac has been the dominating form
leads
to
higher
efficiency (each
er delivered to the data centers.
of data center power distribution as shown in this photo of
conversion
step
introduces losses),
That means that if a data center
servers powered through overhead busways via busplugs.
thereby decreasing cost.
had a capacity of 10 MW, the facilHowever, ac has been the dominating form of power
ity and cooling load also would be 10 MW, leading to a PUE
distribution for many years (see Figure 2). The benefits of
of 2. PUE equal to 2 is deemed to be average efficiency, but
ac include readily available equipment, lower costs, and
not satisfactory to many data center owners. New technoloeasier maintenance (because the maintenance crews algies have pushed the PUE very close to unity.
ready know the equipment and the spare parts are readily
Reliability and tiers: To classify data centers in terms of
available). Historically, most ac power distribution systems
reliability, the Uptime Institute created standards referred
were designed at 208/120 V. The ever-evolving technoloto as Tiers (see Table 1). Data centers are classified in four
gies have helped make the case for using higher ac voltages
Tiers. Tier I data centers dont have a redundant electriat 400/415 V, and even 480 V because of the higher power
cal distribution system, and their components dont have
demands and efficiencies delivered by newer electrical
redundant capacity. Tier II data centers differ from Tier I
equipment.
data centers in that they have components with redundant
PUE: Another important factor in data center design
capacity. Tier III data centers have dual-powered IT equipand construction is PUE. The closer the PUE is to unity,
ment and more than one distribution path to the servers.
Tier IV data centers have all the features that Tier III data
centers have. In addition, Tier IV data centers are fault
Table 1: Uptime Institute tier system
tolerant in that they have more than one electrical power
Classification Description
distribution path. Tier IV data centers have HVAC equip Lack a redundant electrical system.
ment that is also dual powered and have storage capacity.
Tier I
Have components without redundant capacity.
Determining which Tier to select depends on numerous
Tier II
Have components with redundant capacity.
Tier III
Maintain duel-powered IT equipment.

Have multiple distribution paths to the servers.
Tier IV
Have multiple distribution paths to the servers.

Have multiple electrical power distribution paths.
Have storage capacity and dual-powered HVAC equipment.
Table 1: Data centers are classified into one of four Tiers from lowest to
highest reliability.
Cover Story
equipment. From the ATS, the power goes to the servers

(often via a UPS system), where it switches from ac to dc
power to be used by the servers. The next layer of distribution includes switchboards and panelboards that feed the
auxiliary load, HVAC loads, and regular house loads. Power
monitoring systems could also be employed at this point,
which could provide very important information on how
different pieces of equipment are working and how power
is being used.
Going through so many pieces of equipment requires
meticulous work. The design professional must be mindful of the cost of equipment and cables and also the losses
ELECTRICAL DESIGN
introduced by each piece of equipment. Having so many
After the owner decides on the above considerations, the
pieces of electrical and mechanical equipment means that
work of the design professionals begins, especially for the
the engineer also must be mindful of many codes and
electrical engineers. Electrical engineers have to come
regulations associated with these designs.
up with a design that is efficient, has enough capacity for
Relevant codes: The relevant codes for data center defuture growth, and avoids unnecessary frills.
sign professionals include ANSI/TIA-942-2005: TelecommuPower distribution elements: There are many parts to
nications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers, NFPA
electrical power distribution. It starts with utility trans70: National Electrical Code, and ASHRAE: Standard 90.1:
formers, which in large data centers are owned by the data
Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residencenters owner. After the power is stepped down from the
tial Buildings. Other very important codes include Interutility transmission voltage to the distribution level, it goes
national Building Code, International Mechanical Code,
through distribution switchgear that redirects power to
International Plumbing Code, International Fire Code,
where it is needed. Typically, the power must be stepped
International Fuel Gas Code, International Energy Conserdown again, more often than not, via substation transformvation Code, NFPA 72: National Fire Alarm and Signaling
ers and through more than one path. The standby power,
Code, and NFPA 90A: Standard for the Installation of Airusually present in todays data centers, is often introduced
Conditioning and Ventilation Systems.
at this level, bringing with it the automatic transfer switch
Depending on the size of the data
center and the type of building hostTypical data center diagram
ing it, other codes such as NFPA 13:
Utility line
Utility line
Standard for Installation of Sprinkler
Systems, NFPA 30: Flammable and
Generator farm
Combustible Liquids Code, NFPA 10:
Standard for Portable Fire Extinguishers, NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, NFPA
110: Standard for Emergency and
Standby Systems, NFPA 780: Standard
for Installation of Lightning Systems,
and NFPA 20: Standard for Installation
Transformer
Transformer
of Stationary Pumps for Fire Protection
may apply.
Utility service: As with any other
project, designers start by considering
the utility service. Because of the importance of reliability, owners must engage
early on with the utility company to discuss the service. Depending on the size
ATS
ATS
of the data center, the service options
include a separate dedicated utility line
To load
To load
or an existing, very reliable line.
The electrical designer, in close colFigure 3: This one-line diagram of a typical data center shows the tie breaker on the primary side of
laboration
with the owner, must decide
the transformers. However, locating the tie breakers on the secondary side is just as effective. The
how
many
layers of equipment will be
tie breaker makes it possible to have two sources of normal power.
the better. A data center with PUE of 1.5 is considered the
middle line of efficiency. A PUE above that number shows
an inefficient data center; a data center with PUE below 1.5
is considered to be efficient. A data center with a PUE of
1.2 is considered to be very efficient. The most important
part of a data center is the IT equipment. If there were no
supporting (auxiliary) loads, the PUE would be 1. Because
the auxiliary loads are necessary, the PUE is always greater
than 1. The auxiliary loads include HVAC loads and small
electrical loads, such as lighting and receptacles.

there. The more equipment introduced, the more points of

failure are present. In mission critical facilities, it is important to avoid single points of failure.
The utility service will most likely be medium voltage.
Depending on the size and location of the data center,
the service could be between 13.8 and 345 kV. The next
step is to step down the voltage to a level usable for the
servers. Most data center IT equipment works with dual
voltage, 100 to 120 Vac and 200 to 240 Vac. The higher
voltage208 or 240 Vincreases efficiency, thereby lowering losses. Having servers powered at 415 Vac further
increases data center efficiency, making for a better PUE.
If the designer decides to use the higher voltage, 415 V,
the auxiliary mechanical load would then be at 480 V.
This means that autotransformers must be used to take
the power from 415 to 480 V.
At what point does one decide to convert the medium
voltage to low voltage (below 600 V)? The answer to this
question depends on the size of the data center and the
distance from the service drop. If the data center is part
of a campus, the data center can be quite far from the
service drop. If that is the case, it is preferable to distribute
the electrical power at a voltage level as high as possible,
typically 13.8 kV. If the service voltage is higher than 13.8
kV, the first transformation will be at the service entrance,
stepping down the voltage from whatever the utility voltage is to 13.8 kV. This power is delivered to the data center
where the second transformation takes place, stepping the
voltage down to 480 or 415 V.
Redundancy: What sets data centers apart is the level
of redundancy. But everything comes at a price. The
more layers of redundancy that are added, the more
expensive construction of the data center becomes.
Granted, having a data center blackout (or brownout) is
very expensive as well.
The servers, by design, come with two power supply options. In addition, they are backed up by batteries.
Therefore, there are two different normal power supplies to
each server. That means that the servers would be served
from two different substations. To be fully redundant,
the substations need to be fed from two different utility
lines. In the best-case scenario, the utility lines have a tie
between them at some point in the electrical distribution
system, and each utility line has enough capacity to carry
the entire load of the data center. This scenario describes a
fully redundant, normal power data center (see Figure 3).
The normal power redundancy is very important, but it
is not enough by itself. The normal power is often backed
up by a standby system. The standby system is generally
composed of generators, which could be diesel, natural
gas, or a hybrid. Diesel generators are the preferred type of
generation because they are reliable machines and can be
easily maintained. Depending on the type of building the
data center is housed in, the generators may or may not be
Figure 4: Although data center design can be complex, the completed

project can be efficient, reliable, and robust if designed well.
part of the life safety system. Nevertheless, the generators

are usually set to be ready to back up the power system
very quickly, usually in 10 to 30 sec. The time depends on
how long the server backup batteries can last.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Although designing a data centers electrical distribution
system may seem straightforward, there are inherent challenges. The electrical engineer must:
Work closely with the owner to determine current and
future data center capacity.
Work with the owner to decide which data center Tier
would be appropriate for the clients needs.
Work closely with the owner to determine the level of
redundancy.
Design a system simple enough to be easy to operate,
but one that is also robust.
Eliminate single points of failure.
Design a very efficient system with the goal of achieving a PUE under 1.5.
Apply the relevant industry codes and regulations.
Designing data centers is complex (see Figure 4). Building data centers is very expensive, as is their operation and
maintenance. Continuous collaboration with the owner is
extremely importantmore so than in any other type of
project. The successful completion and implementation of
the design depends on that collaboration.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eduard Pacuku is electrical project engineer at Jacobs, where

he spends the majority of his time designing electrical distribution systems for universities (including laboratories),
health care facilities, and data centers.
The Power of More.
Introducing the QSK95 Series of high-horsepower generator sets.

When it comes to power generation, more is better. More horsepower.
More performance. More reliability. But what if you could also have a
generator set that takes up less space in your facility, lowers installation
costs and reduces maintenance? At Cummins Power Generation, we
call this The Power of More and with the QSK95 Series of generator
sets, it can be yours. Rated at up to 3,500 kW (3,750 kVA) and designed
with a smaller footprint, the QSK95 delivers the highest kilowatt per
square foot ratio in its class.
Register to attend our virtual event on November 5
to learn about The Power of More.
QSK95SeriesLaunch.com/event
Our energy working for you.
TM
2014 Cummins Power Generation Inc. All rights reserved. Cummins Power Generation and Cummins are registered trademarks of Cummins Inc. Our energy working for you. is a trademark of Cummins Power Generation Inc.
Networked Electrical Systems
By Danna Jensen, PE, LEED AP BD+C, ccrd partners, Dallas
Managing power
through networked electrical systems
Engineers should consider the benefits of networking electrical systemsmonitoring and controlling power,
its usage, and how it affects system reliability.
cal system not only includes the electrical

n the ever-changing world of technology,
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
system that delivers the electricity, but also
at times it seems that marketing a new
Understand the importance of
encompasses the components that use the
technology requires either creating new
measurement and verification.
electricity.
words or stringing old words into new
Know the available monitoring
phrases to make it sound new and cuttingsolutions.
edge, or perhaps just confuse the consumer
THE FACILITY
Identify the criteria for intealtogether. In fact, its hard to imagine a
MANAGERS STRUGGLE
grating electrical networking
profession that uses more buzzwords and
Energy is a major operating expense for
solutions into facility electrical
acronyms than the field of engineering and
most organizations and, according to
distribution systems.
construction. When it comes to networking
EnergyStar.gov, can represent 30% of
of electrical systems and power management,
a typical commercial office buildings
there is no shortage of this trendy lingo: digital energy
operational costs (see Figure 1). However, managing energy
networks that monitor distributed energy resources
usage can be a daunting task. The facility manager is often
tied to the virtual power plants, or the detailed enfighting mounting pressure to lower costs while energy
ergy survey (DES) for the energy conservation measure
prices are on the rise. Additionally, the reliability of that
(ECM) and its interface with the building management
energy supply is declining. The expectation that facility
system (BMS)shall I go on? But what does it all mean as
managers do more with less presents a challenge even for
it relates to the networking of systems and overall power
the seasoned and highly qualified facility managers. The
management?
paradigm is that the workforce responsible for overseeing
In recent years, billions of dollars have been spent by
these complex energy systems continues to age. Accordelectrical utility companies on Smart Grid technologies.
ing to the International Facility Management Association
A Smart Grid consists of two-way digital communications
(IFMA), in 2011 the average age of a facility manager was
between energy users (facilities) and the utilitys network
49. And according to the Sloan Center on Aging and Work,
operation center. Capturing this smart technology concept
it is expected that more than 50% of facility management
and filtering it much further in to the facility (down to the
personnel will retire within the next 10 years. The good
end-use device) opens up opportunities to better manage
news is that in 2011, IFMA also reported that more young
overall power, ranging anywhere from an individual facilpeople are entering facility management with 9% age 34 or
ity to a large campus system. BMS have been around for
younger. This is up 2% from 4 years prior. However, at that
decades, providing the ability to monitor and control HVAC
rate, a one-for-one replacement will not be possible, which
components, and more recently, the BMS may integrate fire,
presents a challenge for the design engineer and end user
security, and lighting control systems. However, programs
alike. As codes continue to rapidly change and energy costs
such as demand response and other energy management
continue to rise, the engineer is charged with providing
curricula have created a strong motivation to fully integrate
a workable design solution for managing a facility. At the
what traditional BMS systems have left out. Additional
same time, the facility manager is responsible for operating
components, such as power generation equipment, UPS,
the systems as they were intended with less overall manpower switching equipment, and other metered loads now
power. The need for a connected and monitored system
want to be part of the same smart system. One of the latest
where usage can be tracked and controlled from a central
buzz phrases to describe this facility trend is networked
location exists in any facility where power is critical. Facilielectrical systems. This concept of a networked electrities such as health care, commercial, industrial manufacwww.csemag.com/purepower
turing, governmental, data centers, and higher education

are perfect candidates for this technology. Large campustype facilities are particularly good candidates because
they have multiple buildings to monitor. A migration to a
centralized management system could be the solution.
Prior to implementation, however, it is important to assess

the end users needs and capabilities when selecting the
appropriate monitoring approach.
MONITORING SOLUTIONS
Some monitoring solutions may be as simple as monitoring

the main power service and a few of the high-level distribution feeders. This rather simple system allows the facility
There are several aspects of networking electrical systems
manager to monitor the overall power quality and correct it
that must be considered. Step No. 1 is to correlate the
at a system level. This type of monitoring has been around
popular management statement as it relates to energy: You
for quite some time; however, this type of approach is not
cant manage what you dont measure. Understanding
exactly a networked solution. A fully networked electriwhat drives energy usage is the first key to managing it.
cal system incorporates a much broader range of system
Interpreting the data and recognizing what to do with them
components including those that generate energy as well
is the next step in successfully implementing changes in
as use it (see Figure 2). Tracking provides the ability not
the system to provide the desired end result.
only to monitor a system, but also to
The industry term measurement
implement a control strategy to manand verification (M&V) is a process
age the energy usage and quantify the
for quantifying savings determined
results. For example, an office building
by an energy conservation measure.
facility manager may want to monitor
Although M&V continues to be an
the plug loads at individual workstations
evolving art, various standards and
to understand and chart usage. Tracking these data may
protocols demonstrate best practices. One of the most
reveal that an excessive amount of power is being used
popular is the U.S. Green Building Council LEED rating
when the building is normally unoccupied, perhaps due to
system. LEED specifically references the International
tenants inadvertently leaving computers or miscellaneous
Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol
equipment on overnight. With this information, the facility
(IPMVP) Volume III: Concepts and Options for Determanager is armed with the appropriate data to implement
mining Energy Savings in New Construction. Another
a building policy or perhaps install automatic switching
popular reference is ASHRAE Guideline 14: Measurement
devices to minimize usage.
of Energy and Demand Savings.
As previously mentioned, BMS have the ability to
The IPMVP Volume III protocol states that it was develmonitor and control HVAC components and other systems
oped to provide a concise description of the best practice
encompassed by the electrical systems. Many systems and
techniques for verifying the energy performance of new
their associated controls communicate through a common
construction projects. The objective is to provide clear
protocol, such as Modbus, BACnet, or LonWorks. Howguidance to professionals seeking to verify energy and deever, incorporating additional system components tends to
mand savings at either component- or whole-building level
consist of various manufacturers and models that provide a
in new construction.
wide range of assets and communication protocols. This is
ASHRAE Guideline 14 was developed to provide guideone of the greatest challenglines for reliably measuring
es in integrating systems,
energy and demand savings
Typical office building operating expenses
but as the trend continues, a
of commercial equipment.
growing number of compaUsing the available
nies such as Blue Pillar in
guidelines is an approEnergy usage
Indiana and Power Assure
priate starting point for
30%
in California are emerging
the engineer to design a
Other operating costs
in an attempt to provide
solution that provides the
a truly networked electrifacility manager with the
70%
cal system. The network
proper tools to manage
solutions developed by such
energy in the facility. These
companies are claiming
guidelines suggest various
they are easier than ever to
starting points based on
both integrate into new conthe level of M&V desired,
struction as well as retrofit
including performing a DES
Figure 1: Energy represents 30% of a typical office buildings operating
into existing facilities. The
and planning specific ECMs
costs and is a propertys single largest operating expense, according to
potential energy savings
to include in the design.
EnergyStar.gov. All graphics courtesy: ccrd partners
MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION
You cant manage what

you dont measure.
Advanced
Network interface
Lighting
controls
Plug loads
Basic
Transfer switches
Motors
Switchboard
mains and feeders
Control
automation
Figure 2: Advanced, fully networked electrical systems incorporate a much broader range of system components
than former simple monitoring systems.
Generating
equipment
LEGEND:
*DPM = digital power meter
*MVFS = medium voltage feeder switch
*MVPCB = medium voltage power circuit breaker
and anticipated return on investment (ROI) renders the

claims worthy of exploration.
Fully networked electrical systems are migrating
together all aspects of energy consumption and generation (see Figure 3). The monitored infrastructure may
include anything from chillers, air handling equipment,
fuel systems, pumps, switchgear, lighting, and plug loads,
to engine generators, UPSs, thermal storage, cogeneration,
and other equipment. The goal is that anything that uses
energy can be monitored and controlled from a single
location while anything that generates and stores energy
can be monitored and controlled to properly support
the energy usage as efficiently as possible. The system
network collects the information and provides the facility
manager with the appropriate data to make informed and
timely decisions. Some specific examples of the benefits
a facility may realize from a fully networked system are
detailed in the following sections.
Ensure optimum operation: When a facilitys energy
infrastructure is properly designed and commissioned,
optimum operating ranges are established based on uncontrollable factors such as weather, occupant load, etc.
Over time, the optimum setpoints tend to shift for any
number of reasons. The networked system diagnostics
may be set to alert the facility manager when equipment
is not operating at its optimum setpoint or using more
power than anticipated so that corrective action may be
implemented. Examples include leaking valves, faulty
economizer damper controls, and manual overrides.
Improve reliability and power quality: Dirty power
is the buzz phrase given to electrical anomalies that exist
in a facility. Anomalies such as surges, sags, spikes, and
transients can wreak havoc on sensitive equipment if not
properly managed. Dirty power originates both outside and
within a facility. For example, lightning, utility switching,
and faults on the utility distribution system can affect the
quality of power before it reaches the facility. Daily fluctua-
tions inside the facility, such

as harmonics produced by nonlinear loads and cyclical
equipment with frequent on/off switching, affect the power
quality from within. Monitoring of incoming power as well
as individual end users, such as computers and motors,
assists in identifying sources of dirty power. This allows
the operator to take corrective action to improve the power
quality, therefore avoiding critical damage on sensitive
equipment and improving the overall reliability.
Prevent premature equipment failure: Monitoring
large motors and HVAC equipment creates a predictive
maintenance program by identifying when the equipment
performance begins to fall below preset levels or other
unexpected anomalies occur. For example, if a pump with
a constant load starts trending toward increased electrical usage over time, the networked system identifies this
tendency. It can provide an alarm for the facility manager
to investigate potential causes, such as increased bearing
friction or restrictions in the piping. This early detection
system is a predictive maintenance system that may be
used to schedule preventive maintenance. Preventive maintenance leads to overall reduced downtime before major
equipment damage occurs.
Reduce overall energy costs: Monitoring total energy usage to determine exact historical values will identify ways
to turn the network into a cost savings program. The data
assists the facility manager in determining the optimum
time to operate the on-site generating equipment or other
energy storage devices to reduce peak demand loads. This
also yields improved reliability by providing the capability
to operate on-site equipment with known load parameters
to ride through both temporary and extended utility outages. Note that the use of on-site diesel-fired engine generators for nonemergency applications triggers additional
requirements from a regulatory standpoint, such as the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that
the designer must consider.
10
Transfer equipment
Plug loads
HVAC equipment
Thermal storage
Fully networked
electrical system
Traditional
building
management
system
UPS
Fire/life safety
Lighting controls
Generators
Metering equipment
Improved efficiencies between integrated systems:

Integrating the HVAC and lighting control systems provides
improved efficiencies gained from common scheduling
and occupant control. For example, codes and standards
such as the International Energy Conservation Code and
ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings
Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings mandate the use of
occupant sensing devices to reduce the lighting and automatically control receptacles in unoccupied spaces. This
equipment can be networked with the HVAC system to
reduce additional energy by altering the HVAC supplied to
the unoccupied space via changing temperature setpoints
or reducing air changes.
Reduce staff hours: As previously stated, there is a
concern with the aging workforce in the facility management as it relates to the future personnel workforce. With a
fully networked electrical system, what once required a full
crew at multiple locations can be done from a single location by the push of a button, such as initiating a demand
response program. In addition, the data that are collected
into the networked system can be used to automatically
generate reports required for compliance reporting, such
as Joint Commission for hospitals or the EPA. This also
reduces the previous manpower required to physically
monitor and record the tests.
FINAL THOUGHTS
While the idea of fully networked digital electrical systems is still rather new and continuing to make leaps and
bounds with new technologies, the overall concept demonwww.csemag.com/purepower
Figure 3: Energy management has created a strong motivation to fully

integrate what traditional BMS systems have left out.
strates value to the owners. Collecting and analyzing data

through a system network allows trends to be recorded and
then programmed to automatically modify load behaviors
based on that analysis. Benefits include prevention of premature equipment failure, improved reliability and power
quality, optimum equipment operation, reduced overall
energy costs, improved efficiencies between integrated
systems, and reduced staff hours.
An overall networked electrical system provides aroundthe-clock monitoring of the system components with immediate notification of changes and events. Collecting realtime data enables the facility manager to make data-driven
decisions and demonstrate verifiable results. The potential
energy savings and anticipated ROI of applying such systems in design is worthy of exploration and implementation
into any facility design.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Danna Jensen is associate principal at ccrd in Dallas.

With 14 years of electrical engineering experience, most of
her work consists of designing electrical distribution systems
for hospitals; however, she also designs electrical systems
for office and retail facilities. Jensen was a 2009
Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40 winner and is
a member of the Consulting-Specifying Engineer Editorial
Advisory Board.
PLANNED EVENT
UNPLANNED EVENT
ONE NAME YOU CAN COUNT ON

Whether youre powering a sporting event, or supporting recovery efforts following a hurricane, your Cat dealer has
the equipment to help you solve the challenge. As part of the Caterpillar dealer network, your local Cat dealer has
access to a vast rental fleet of power generation and temperature control equipment specifically designed to meet the
requirements of commercial, industrial, institutional and manufacturing applications, capable of supporting even the
most critical operating systems.
Whether youre dealing with an emergency, or planning ahead for scheduled downtime, Cat Standby Power equipment
can be on its way in minutes. Visit us online today at www.NECatDealers.com/power
SiNCE 1927
SiNCE 1948
SiNCE 1923
SiNCE 1960
SiNCE 1916
Alban CAT
Cleveland Brothers
H.O. Penn Machinery
Milton CAT
Giles & Ransome Inc.
www.albancat.com
Baltimore, MD
800-492-6994
www.clevelandbrothers.com
Murrysville, PA
888-232-5948
www.hopenn.com
Poughkeepsie, NY
845-437-4051
www.miltoncat.com
Milford, MA
866-385-8538
www.ransome.com
Bensalem, PA
877-RANSOME
2013 Caterpillar All rights reserved. CAT, CATERPILLAR, their respective logos, Caterpillar Yellow, the Power Edge trade dress as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be
used without permission. www.cat.com www.caterpillar.com
12
Smart Grid Roundtable
By Jack Smith, Managing Editor

and Amara Rozgus, Editor in Chief
Figure 1: A sophisticated BAS at the projected LEED Platinum

Gateway Building assists Oberlin College in its commitment to
environmental sustainability. Courtesy: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
Integrating commercial buildings,

utilities with the Smart Grid
Knowing where and how much power is needed allows the Smart Grid to adjust power distribution in real time. The
agility of matching power demand with power production minimizes the amount of power that generating facilities
must dump, and keeps base-load plants running at minimum capacity. This article explores the relationship between
utilities, the Smart Grid, and commercial buildings through the consulting engineers eyes.
Q: Integration of facilities varied electrical and mechanical systems into building automation systems (BAS)
is becoming more prevalent. How is your firm meeting
this need?
Chris Edward: Design for the new Gateway Building at
Oberlin College in Ohio was recently completed by our
Indianapolis and Quad Cities offices. This mixed-use hotel,
retail, and office building is pursuing LEED Platinum. It
required a highly customized BAS to be coordinated and
specified (see Figure 1). A geothermal field serves radiant
heating and cooling throughout the building and is assisted
by automated natural ventilation and window shading. The
lighting control system provides 0 to 10 Vdc daylighting
feedback and scheduling access, while power monitoring,
fire alarm, and access control systems integrate with the
BAS. The college provides for all buildings on campus to
display energy and water performance on a Web portal to
encourage efficiency by the users.
KJWW often uses the BAS as a common platform in these

high-performance buildings to automate building control
functions and to bring viewable information together for
the owners benefit.
Kevin Krause: Building operations are simultaneously
challenged by the increasing complexity of integrated
systems and financial and human resource limitations.
Systems integration and analytics are a means of doing
more with less.
As a global standard-setting biomedical research center,
the 300,000-sq-ft Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery (WID)
at the University of Wisconsin-Madison represents state-ofthe-art and state-of-the-future strategies for implementing
and benefiting from system-integration-based analytics.
The building technologies required to meet the unique
goals of the project were necessarily advanced and often
inherently complex, compared to most commercial building systems. The multifaceted nature of the architectural
spaces required tailored solutions for systems, such as
Meet our Smart Grid

roundtable participants
STEVEN COLLIER, director,

Smart Grid Strategies,
Milsoft Utility Solutions,
Abilene, Texas
Q: How has the relationship

between utilities, the Smart
Grid, and commercial buildings
changed in recent years, and
what should engineers expect
to see in the near future?
Steven Collier: Most buildings
have traditionally been passive
consumers of electric power and
CHRIS EDWARD, PE;
energy generated by some 7,000
electrical engineer; KJWW;
utility-owned power plants, and
Indianapolis
delivered to them through highvoltage transmission lines and
local distribution systems. Now,
however, buildings are becoming an important component
of the grid itself as they increasingly deploy their own
generation, storage, and energy management systems. They
are doing this for a variety of reasons including economy,
reliability, security, sustainability, and independence.
And, perhaps most importantly, they do it to maximize
the benefits for themselves, not to help their utility solve
its problems. This trend will not only continue but it will
accelerate. Smart buildings will not just be served by the
Smart Grid, they will become an integral part of it.
John Cooper: Traditionally, commercial buildings managed their energy largely independently of their electric
utility grid, focused primarily on minimizing their electricity bill via conservation, energy efficiency, and minimizing
usage during high-cost periods. Starting in the 1980s, electric utilities began to offer financial incentives to customers who would allow them to control some portion of their
load to maximize operating economy and defer the need to
build expensive new generators. Over the past decade, util-
JOHN COOPER, business

development manager,
Business Transformation
Services, Siemens Power
Technologies International,
Schenectady, N.Y.
ities more aggressively sought

to engage customers in demand
response programs wherein
customers would change when
they used electricity to mitigate
utilities growing problems
with grid economy, reliability,
and sustainability. Commercial
building owner/operators are
becoming increasingly less satisfied with the economy, reliability, security, service quality, and
sustainability of the legacy grid.
As a result, as Steve observed,
they are putting in their own
energy production, storage, and
management systems.
Edward: Were approaching the

point where commercial buildings are starting to have a need
to communicate directly with
the utility grid. Utility companies have been using Smart Grid
technologies to modernize their
systems and provide greater
reliability, often with the use of
grants or agreements with their
local regulators. We are still
KEVIN KRAUSE, PE, LEED
moving toward a system of dyAP; principal; Affiliated
namic or real-time pricing where
Engineers Inc., Madison,
utilities and independent system
Wis.
operators will see the benefit of
charging consumers based on
the actual cost of generation throughout the day. When
commercial buildings start seeing a high cost of energy at
peak usage times, there will be an incentive for two-way
communication with Smart Grids to avoid high costs, and
the relationship with the utility will change. The trend
toward this type of relationship has started in some parts
of the country and will likely expand as energy codes and
state regulators adopt related requirements.
Krause: The two primary drivers for all concerned parties
to embrace with respect to Smart Grid implementation relate directly to improved distribution system reliability and
enhanced power delivery efficiency. The improved electrical reliability is derived from the significantly improved
communication directly from consumer meters that can
alert utilities of outages, low voltage, and poor power quality on an individual consumer basis. Such system anomalies
can readily be identified and isolated via utility supervisory
control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, thus limiting the overall outage exposure to the rest of the distribuwww.csemag.com/purepower
HVAC, lighting, life safety,

access control, and scientific
processes. This high degree to
which systems were customized to various spaces created a
demand for specific control and
automation technologies. This
took the form of an intelligent
building architecture.
Interfaces throughout the
open ground floor of the WID
building draw from the systems
integration architecture to document building performance and
resource use, providing informational content to the general public and impacting the behavior of
building occupants.
13
14
Figure 2: NREL technicians work in the Energy Systems Integration Lab within ESIF. The research conducted there addresses technical readiness, performance
characterization, and testing of hydrogen-based and other energy storage systems for optimal production and efficient use. Courtesy: Dennis Schroeder, NREL
tion system. As the digital metering equipment continues

to evolve along with the communication systems, overall
improved system stability and reliability will result.
The system efficiency essentially is related to demandside controls implemented within the consumers own facilities. Smart Grids allow consumers to monitor their own
demand levels and establish internal controls to diminish
their own demand and energy consumption. Whether it
is time-of-day automated controls or the education of employees regarding manual switching of electrical loads, the
consumer has the impetus to institute these policies and
obtain the subsequent economic benefit. The utilities realize improved load factors, which allow existing distribution
systems to operate more efficiently and preclude the need
to increase capital expenditures by not requiring more
power generation or more transmission lines and their associated substations.
These two elements are key to the success of the Smart
Grid concept and can be realized almost immediately
with the benefits being shared by the consumer and the
utility alike.
Q: How are BAS being impacted by the Smart Grid

developments?
Collier: Perhaps the better question is how are BAS impacting Smart Grid developments? I think that in many
ways, the entire Smart Grid discussion has the cart before
the horse, so to speak. The electric utility industry in
general thinks of Smart Grid measures primarily as a way
of preserving and prolonging the legacy grid. They think
of customer engagement as being important primarily so
that customers will reduce their demands on an increaswww.csemag.com/purepower
ingly frail legacy grid. Meanwhile, technology (energy,

electronics, telecommunications, and information) is
making it possible for customers and an ever-growing
industry of nonutility providers (dis-intermediaries) to
simply leap-frog the legacy grid to an entirely new model.
Customers will always act in their own best interests.
They are not going to be interested in developing expertise,
exerting effort, or incurring expense for the benefit of their
electric utility.
Cooper: Commercial buildings enjoy steadily expanding options not available historically, well beyond what
traditional building management systemseven emerging BAStypically provide. These include on-site power
production and storage, selling power back to the grid,
multiple-site resource dispatch optimization, and sophisticated energy management systems. In fact, as technologies
continue to improve and emerge, and these trends progress
over the next few years, commercial buildings will have
the potential to use BAS integrated with distributed energy
resources (DER), such as on-site generators, fuel cells, or
solar/photovoltaic, to become prosumers, producing as
well as consuming energy, not to mention their ability to
store either thermal energy, or electricity in batteries.
With this newfound capacity, we can begin to speak
of buildings, like the grid, as evolving to become smart
buildings, with a wide range of power options, from net
zero (operating independently of the grid, as a building microgrid or a nanogrid) to power positive (acting as distributed power plants or storage units with excess production
capacity) to grid integrated (coordinating energy consumption, storage, and production with grid operations).
Engineers can expect microgrid control technologies to find
No matter what your social networking preference is, theres

a way for you to connect with Consulting-Specifying Engineer!
Make the connection now...
www.csemag.com/connect/social-media.html
socialMed_fillePG_cse.indd 1
10/8/2013 3:23:27 PM
16
business transformation and solution engineering services based on Compass methodology, which integrates
business processes, business capabilities, and aspirations with innovative technologies to guide utilities
and businesses into a new, more holistic and integrated
energy
business model. Pace Global offers a custom
Q: Describe the various Smart Grid-ready solutions
portfolio
of strategic and tactical services for utilities,
youve integrated into BAS of buildings and facilities and
commercial,
and industrial customers, including intetheir challenges and opportunities.
grated resource planning, risk-based capital allocation
strategy, energy data
Collier: Our software
management services,
solutions are for elecU.S. electricity meter installed base
energy efficiency
tric utility engineer100%
assessments, and
ing and operations,
90%
strategic sourcing proand so our customNoncommunicating
80%
grams, with a growing
ers have historically
Communicating
focus on DER and mibeen electric utilities
70%
crogrids. The eMeters
and their professional
60%
EnergyIP solution is
service providers, not
50%
a flexible, scalable
retail consumers. It is
40%
meter data manageinteresting, however,
30%
ment (MDM) platform
that in recent years,
20%
that has the most
as more commercial
10%
large-scale, massand industrial sites
0%
market deployments
(and their nonutility
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
in the utility indusproviders) have begun
Year
try, and has become
to own and operate
the
standard MDM
their own independent
Figure 3: This graph shows the U.S. electricity meter installed base for communicating
solution.
Also, eMeter
distribution systems or
and noncommunicating starting in 2012 and projected through 2020. Courtesy: IHS
recently released
microgrid or nanogrid,
Energy Engage Mobile, its fi rst mobile-web application
they are beginning to purchase and use similar software.
that brings energy consumption information directly to
the consumers fi ngertips, helping utilities connect with
Cooper: My company offers a complete spectrum of
their customers.
products, solutions, and services for the protection,
automation, planning, monitoring, and diagnosis of grid
Edward: Current BAS have the programming flexibility to
infrastructure, as well as a complete suite of building
bring in Smart Grid technologies if needed. This is a platmanagement services for the commercial and industrial
form that will be able to expand to accommodate additionsectors. Our suite of Smart Grid applications integrate
al control functions to react and respond to data provided
with smart meter infrastructures, distributed generation,
by the Smart Grid when that option becomes more widely
and BAS solutions, thus allowing utilities and aggregaavailable. A building can be set up to provide warning
tors to enable Smart Grid offerings that fully leverage
or automation to reduce total load as part of a demand
distributed energy resources. Siemens Building Technoloresponse program or a dynamic pricing event.
gies provides energy services to the commercial sector.
For example, Gamma building control provides intelligent
Krause: An era of transformation is upon us, as nonrenewsolutions and services to maximize energy efficiency
able fuels are joined by an array of newly viable energy
and comfort in buildings. Anticipating ever-greater grid
sources including photovoltaics, geosourcing, wind power,
integration with commercial buildings, Siemens has
biofuels, and hydrogen. AEIs history of engineering effideveloped integrated load management (ILM) technology
ciency into energy-intensive facilities focuses us on smarter
that merges distributed energy management systems with
energy use and smart buildings. Advanced integration
demand response management systems to provide grid
and communication of systems via more complex and
operators and building owners with visibility and disdeveloped BAS calls for a high level of technical dexterpatch capability of a wide variety of edge resourcesfrom
ity to wade through assessment of hard data and growing
edge power to edge storage devices to curtailable loads.
technologies of Smart Grid, energy sources, sustainability,
Siemens has three companies in particular actively
and communication protocols.
engaging in BAS and Smart Grid integration. PTI offers
their way into this smaller realm of integrated, independent, commercial building nanogrids. What remains to be
seen is the emerging business relationship between commercial building owners and the utilities that serve them.
% of total installed base
17
decade
hasTheseenpastdramatic
advances in automation
systems and smart
devices.
integration?
Cooper: There are four trends that stand out in this area,
each interrelated with the other.
Power purchase agreements (PPAs): Equipment vendors
and service providers have begun to offer PPAs to commercial building owners, enabling them to locate on-site power
production in their facilities immediately on a service
basis, with no upfront capital investment.
Bypass: PPAs and disruptive decentralized energy
technologies help drive a second trend: local distribution
utility bypass. A logical progression of maturing distributed power systems and aggressive marketing by vendors,
bypass occurs when commercial customers purchase energy solutions from new market entrants without consulting or considering their traditional utility providers. Bypass
represents a significant threat to the conventional utility
business and revenue model.
Nanogrids: The term nanogrid has entered our lexicon only recently, and the term remains ill-defi ned. For
our purposes, lets consider a nanogrid to be a buildingbased microgrid. When a BAS is integrated with multiple
on-site power systems to significantly reduce dependence
Collier: I agree with John about off-the-grid buildings

emerging, grid-connected buildings operating their own
microgrid, and buildings isolating parts of their energy
systems into independent nanogrids. I am also seeing
nonutilities (e.g., Enernoc) aggregating commercial and
industrial (even residential) buildings for participation in
transactive energy markets. An aggregator with access to
a competitive retail market can sell aggregated generation
(and storage), as well as the ability to reduce demand and
energy consumption based on aggregating loads (i.e., a
virtual power plant).
Edward: The trend is that both Smart Grid and building
automation technologies are becoming more sophisticated
and closer to being able to communicate with each other
in a straightforward way. Utilities across the country have
been installing a large amount of smart meters capable of
being the link between the power company and consumer
(see Figure 3). Attention has been given by manufacturers of appliances to developing smart refrigerators, ovens,
etc., that can respond to smart meter data, but this type of
integration has been very limited in practice. When the inwww.csemag.com/purepower
on the grid, commercial building energy options expand

One of AEIs recently completed projects is the U.S.
to include the potential for islanding: operating indepenDept. of Energys Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF)
dently of the grid.
at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in
Complete demand response (DR): Nanogrids may deGolden, Colo. NREL is the nations primary laboratory for
velop into what could be called complete DR: the ability
renewable energy and energy-efficient research, demonfor buildings to significantly curtail grid consumption
stration, and deployment of systems such as Smart Grids
on demand, enabling constant wide swings in energy
(see Figure 2). Electrical delivery infrastructures and their
demand from the grid, from slight declines up to full
subsequent communications are focuses of the ESIF.
islanding. As it develops, this trend will require new atAEI planned, designed, and engineered two key parts
titudes and thinking about the potential of demand-side
of the ESIF to allow this development to commence: the
activity.
research electrical distribution bus (REDB) and the facility
As Siemens ILM is implemented, it will enable newly
SCADA system. The renewable energy sources discussed
capable local distribution utilities to
above variously produce incongruent ac
embrace decentralized technologies and
and dc power. The REDB functions as
maturing consumer attitudes to stay
the ultimate power integration circuit to
ahead of the trends mentioned above.
support further industry development of
Instead of viewing new technologies as
uniform conversion, metering, safeties,
disruptive, to be controlled and manand system communications.
aged as a threat to the status quo, a utilThis is where BAS and SCADA sysity with an ILM will be able to embrace
tems play a vital role. New technologies
an array of new technologies that bring
demand robust safety systems. The ESIF
added value to consumers, certain of
SCADA system does just that and more.
their ability to manage the disruptions
The system marshals safety PLCs, and
-Kevin Krause, Affiliated Engineers Inc.
to grid operations that accompany new
central electric, water, and HVAC utilities,
technologies. Commercial buildings
to name a few. AEIs unique safety- and
will enjoy a robust market of new energy services from a
data-integrity-driven SCADA solution deploys hardwaregrowing number of providers, with integration to utility
independent software governing the array of functionoperations becoming standard. ILM enables an accelspecific control systems that comprise a smart building/
eration of the convergence of Smart Grid and BAS by
Smart Grid.
enabling greater flexibility and control while preserving
core
aspects of the utility business model.
Q: What trends are you seeing in Smart Grid/BAS
18
stallation of smart metering is more uniform, I expect that

integration with BAS will become much more common.
Smart Grid and smart buildings. In general, there is little

or no integration or interoperability between and among
competing vendors of utility Smart Grid or commercial
smart buildings. Sometimes theres not even integration
or interoperability between and among different product
lines or vintages of products from the same vendor. This
will change, though, because it is so crucially important to our quality of life, productivity of business, and
national security. We will eventually see what has been
called 3-D integration: every device,
every application, and every communications system will seamlessly
integrate and interoperate with every
other oneseamlessly, out of the box,
mix-and-match. Just like every consumer appliance works everywhere
on the electric grid. Just like every
connectible devices works everywhere
on any Wi-Fi network. Just like Skype
works on every device that can access
the Internet. I fi rmly believe that this
will be accomplished by the convergence of the Smart Grid and smart
buildings with the Internet of Things.
Krause: While a significant amount of development of

renewable energy sources, efficient end-use appliances,
and other Smart Grid components (e.g., submetering) has
been completed, a common communication model tying
it all together is necessary for the success of the Smart
Grid. This model must allow for the reliable, secure, and
accurate information exchange between
these technologies and the control
systems of utilities and other electrical
service providers. An understanding of
sources and loads and how they interact
is critical to fostering communications
between them.
The most common types of building
loads, of course, include lighting and
HVAC. Yet in todays world of emerging
energy sources and loads encompassing wind, solar, and electrical vehicles,
the landscape of the energy grid, and
the very concept and framework of the
Smart Grid, continue to evolve. Many of
these new loads actually represent both
-Steven Collier, Milsoft Utility Solutions
Cooper: The OpenADR (IEC/PAS 62746a sink and a source of electrical energy.
10-1) standard is increasingly evident
This presents both demand control
for integrating with BAS, gateway devices, and more
issues and safety issues for the operation of the electrirecently, cloud-based services that provide remote control
cal grid in terms of what the industry is accustomed to,
of commercial, industrial, and residential controllers/
where power flow has typically been a one-way street.
devices. The ILM technology is designed to accommoThus is the need for further standardization of measuredate any devices in compliance with OpenADR 2.0. We
ment and control.
also support IEC 60870-5-104 for generic load control,
To respond fully and most effectively to the need for
MultiSpeak for load control through advanced metering
more sophisticated demand and supply monitoring and
infrastructure headends, as well as an extensible adapter
control, certain aspects of electrical energy management
architecture. IEC 61850 specifies substation automation
must be addressed. Increased monitoring and reporting
and will provide guidance on the link between edge
of actual demands and behaviors of the end users, as
devices and the substation. The worldwide KNX standard
well as further educating the end users on the amount
is used by more than 250 manufacturers of products that
and pattern of their electrical usage, is essential. Without
optimize the control of lighting, shading, heating, and
this knowledge, electrical energy suppliers delivering to
cooling in rooms and buildings. Siemens Gamma building
the grid are at a marked disadvantage to meet demand or
control KNX complies with EN 50090, and ISO/IEC 14543
adjust to greater fluctuations in demand due to optimized
for intelligent building networks.
facility operations or the variable nature of many of the
distributed renewable energy sources being interconEdward: Californias 2013 Building Energy Efficiency
nected. With a more sophisticated Smart Grid, concurrent
Standards create the broadest requirements in the U.S. for
data across users and generators will allow for additional
smart metering and demand response. The code describes
demand control, adjustment, or curtailment, with the goal
an energy management control system (EMCS) that, at a
of changing behaviors of the end consumer.
minimum, must be able to automatically reduce lighting
power by 15%, and centrally shed HVAC load based on a
Q: What codes/standards are applicable to Smart Grid/
demand response signal from the utility. The EMCS is a
BAS integration?
separate category of BAS that has the purpose of selectively reducing building power demands. This equipment and
Collier: Standards are the single greatest challenge to
software can be stand-alone or part of an overall BAS. It
realizingmuch less maximizingthe benefits of the
I think that the
passing of the legacy
grid means that

architects, engineers,
and operators will have
to fundamentally change
how they think about
building design.
QUANTIFY.
IDENTIFY.
SAVE.
Energy and cost reduction opportunities are there.
With the Fluke 1730 Energy Logger finding them just got easier.
energy usage
1 Quantify
across your facility
energy
2 Identify
inefficiencies
cost
3 Evaluate
savings potential
Be the first to first to learn more:

fluke.com/EnergyLogger
2013 Fluke Corporation

4315089A_EN
20
can be expected that other states with highly loaded grids

will eventually follow with similar requirements.
Edward: The demand for integration in the Midwestern

part of the country has been limited for the most part. BAS
design has become increasingly complex due to energy
code and LEED certification requirements, but there are
currently no regional requirements or great incentives for
communicating with a Smart Grid.
Krause: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Electrical Manufacturers Association
(NEMA), ASHRAE, and Electric Power Research Institute
have been developing standards for interoperability of
Smart Grid technology. Their charge to date essentially is to
Krause: Yes. The past decade has seen dramatic advances in
establish communication guidelines so that various electriautomation systems and smart devices. With todays IP-concal devices can talk to one another and afford information
nected systems employing a variety of standard protocols and
regarding not only on or off status and
Web services, it is now relatively simple to
loading, but also control.
access and accumulate data produced by
A specific example being developed
devices in buildings. As a consequence,
the amount of available data per building
to establish a common basis for electrihas grown, and with it, in many cases,
cal energy providers and consumers to
the number of buildings that have to be
manage and communicate about electrimanaged.
cal energy consumption and forecasts
The challenge facing todays overburis Standard 201P: Facility Smart Grid
dened managers and operations staffs
Information Model, which is jointly being developed by ASHRAE and NEMA.
is information prioritization. The ideal
-Chris Edward, KJWW
targeted by todays systems integration
The model will facilitate integration of
professionals is to execute this prioritizaobjects and actions within the electrition with little to no hands-on effort, and devising software to
cal infrastructure, such as on-site generation, demand
scan equipment systems patterns for variations and faults.
response, load control, load shedding, submetering, load
The industrys acceptance of measurement and verification
prediction, and energy storage. Ultimately, Standard 201P
will promote the effectiveness of smart facilities, support(M&V) has been an important step toward highlighting the
ing optimal functionality of a national Smart Grid. The
value of enhancing the quality of data provided to buildSmart Grid Interoperability Panel, a private/public partnering managers. Harnessing the processing power of todays
ship originally established by NIST, is acting in an advisory
BAS platforms to capture data, typical M&V installations can
role in the development of the standard.
provide trends and reporting to operations staff. However, due
in part to their lack of true analytics, many M&V systems are
relegated to providing basic, high-level information about enQ: Have you seen the demand for integrating BAS and the
ergy performance on building dashboards. Building managers
Smart Grid increase?
are increasingly turning to open source systems integration
platforms to manage their operations. These platforms, built
Cooper: This connection has tremendous potential, but
from the best available control and automation technologies,
commercial building owners and utilities are only beginning
can easily provide data and information required for M&V
to take advantage of available synergies. For example, the
functionality, and deploy a suite of analytics applications that
OpenADR standard has achieved widespread adoption by
can identify items requiring attention in real time.
DR and related equipment vendors, but utility adoption has
been somewhat lagging until very recently. For such demand
to increase, the two worlds of building automation and grid
Q: What tax incentives, rebates, or other incentives
operations must find new ways to come together, and much
should engineers know about (to pass on to their buildmore frequently. Utilities need to design to incorporate the
ing owner clients)? What resources are available to
new capabilities, emerging needs, and independent attitudes
engineers?
of commercial building owners and managers, and the commercial sector and BAS vendors need to anticipate being ever
Collier: Tax incentives, grants, and other government inmore connected and integrated with grid operations.
centives vary from state to state, from industry to industry,
Transforming to this new paradigm will not come easily.
and from time to time. Organizations with expertise in
Utilities will need to expand their horizons to accept and
these areas include Continental Automated Buildings Asimplement new business models that are more open and insociation and Institute for Building Efficiency.
teractive with third parties. Building owners and managers
will need to imagine a new role in energy beyond simple
Cooper: The OpenADR Group and the Smart Grid Interopconsumption and conservation. The days of stand-alone
erability Panel are two great resources for engineers intersystemswhether for grids or buildingsare numbered.
ested in this new area of convergence.
Current BAS have the

programming
flexibility
to bring in Smart Grid

technologies if needed.
Turning research into insights makes

for better business decisions
Improve your engineering business with

Consulting-Specifying Engineer Research.
How does your firm compare with your competition in
Revenue
Experience
Products/Systems you specify
Project types and locations
What do these results

mean for your future and
how may it affect
your competitiveness?
Find out now, download our latest
research and help increase your
firms business. Four key topic
areas are available:
Fire and Life Safety
Electrical and Power
Lighting
HVAC/BAS
Get the information you need, in the

context necessary to make both
large-scale and everyday decisions
with confidence!
Download the Consulting-Specifying Engineer Editorial Research Studies:
www.csemag.com/media-library/research
22
Edward: Incentives and rebates will be available from the

local utility company for several activities. Some provide
a yearly payment for being part of a DR program. In the
case that this is an automated function, the communication
between utility and BAS may play a role. Resources available to engineers include the local energy codes and utility
company guidance. Trends on upcoming regulations can
typically be found on the DOE Website.
Krause: The first place to investigate incentives for a given
state is the DOE Website DSIRE: Database of State Incentives for Renewable & Efficiencies. This website is very
comprehensive with the most current incentives offered by
not only a given state, but also local municipality utilities
located therein.
Q: How will the Smart Grid challenge electrical engineering design/specification now and in the future?
Collier: I think that the passing of the legacy grid means
that architects, engineers, and operators will have to
fundamentally change how they think about building
design. Legacy grid service is going
to be increasingly expensive, decreasingly reliable, and marginally
sustainable. This means building
design where the utility connection
is less a baseline and more just one
of many options for a customized,
comprehensive, and integrated approach to power.
specs must set devices and BAS on the path to becoming

smart, just like the grid.
Specifically, the primary challenges related to Smart
Grid and smart buildings going forward are three-fold:
fi rst, to ensure that a standards-based energy management system becomes a central component of BAS;
second, that electrical loads inside buildings are able to
provide controllable load flexibility; and third, that onsite energy production facilities provide similar dispatch
flexibility and the ability in the event of an emergency to
disconnect from the grid at the owners discretion, or to
override device operations with remote control. A great
example of load flexibility is the LED: unlike many other
more conventional lighting solutions, dimmable LEDs provide incredible operational flexibility via the management
of light levels. Similarly, HVAC systems with VFDs offer
greater opportunity for fi ne-tuned load control.
Edward: The role of a consulting engineer is not only to
provide value-directed design, but to be an owners resource for keeping up with codes and design trends. Smart
Grid technologies are likely to increase the significance of
energy code updates and will provide
a new set of options for electrical
engineers to consider and to coordinate with other members of the
design team.
Building owners and

managers
will need to
imagine a new role in energy

beyond simple consumption
and conservation.
Krause: For those who design and

specify systems for construction
of facilities and energy systems,
increased control and monitoring of
Cooper: Buildings and appliances
-John Cooper, Siemens Power Technologies International energy performance by BAS or
SCADA systems will allow for easier
must gain the same smart functiongrid integration of a given facility with itself, with the
ality as the grid so they can mature in tandem and ensure
neighboring consumer, and with the neighboring distriboptimal integrated system operations based on manageuted energy source or the remote energy producer on the
ment of complex scenarios at the core and edge of the
grid. With improved communication among these, the
energy network. The term co-optimization attempts to
generation and consumption of the energy can be reliable,
capture this concept of mutual progress. We must begin
safe, economical, better forecasted, and adjusted. To do
to look at buildings and the devices they contain more as
this, continued development of products and control sysnetwork elements that have been added to the grid, rather
tems will be necessary and project specifications will need
than stand-alone devices in much the same way we saw
to be enhanced to include these technologies.
PCs and telephones treated in IT and telecom over the
In addition to the requirement of more sophisticated
past 20 years.
measurement devices, communication, and controls to be
As the Smart Grid matures and becomes the dominant
included in project specifications, the engineer today must
paradigm for electricity system operations, electrical
help clients accommodate the various funding sources
engineering design specs must incorporate three fundathat are available specific to a given project location. Also,
mental capabilities: fi rst, the ability to gather and store
each state has independent regulatory authorities, varyoperational and/or sensory data; second, the ability to
ing utilities, and different avenues for implementation of
communicate those data back to a local or remote manSmart Grids that must be understood and vetted early on
agement device; and third, the ability to receive control
in a project to determine what is viable and feasible for
messages remotely. Finally, an emerging capability is to
a given facility, distributed energy network, or available
make independent decisions out at the edge, based on
utility grid.
preprogrammed algorithms and policies. In short, design
Learn about the latest

engineering trends and
technologies while earning
CEU credits.
Check out some of our
webcasts on topics like
CRITICAL POWER
SMART ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
HVAC
FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY
and more
www.csemag.com/webcast
24
Arc Flash Mitigation

By Michael J. Mar, PE, LEED AP, and Robert K. Sandy,
Environmental Systems Design Inc., Chicago
Mitigating
arc flash hazards

Engineers should know about selecting the appropriate risk-reducing strategies to help their
clients ensure compliance with NEC, NFPA 70E, and OSHA.
lectricians and mainCALCULATING ARC

tenance staff often
FLASH ENERGY
willingly work on
An arc flash occurs when
energized electrical
the energy that is normally
equipment to perform routine
channeled into magnetic and
maintenance, take measureheating forces for a bolted fault
ments, or eliminate downtime
is released into the atmosphere
of critical loads in the system.
in the form of intense heat,
Unfortunately, this creates a
pressure, and light, which are
very dangerous work environincredibly dangerous and can
ment that is prone to arc fl ash
result in the destruction of
incidents, which can result in
equipment, fire, and serious
serious injury or even death.
injury to electrical workers
Figure 1: This is a typical arc flash label applied to distribuWhile consulting engiand bystanders. The event can
tion equipment identifying the hazard category or danger level
neers are not responsible for
result from contamination,
associated with working on that equipment while it is energized.
determining the process for
water or condensation comCourtesy: Environmental Systems Design
achieving an electrically safe
ing in contact with the system,
work condition as defined by
deterioration, or even faulty inthe National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), they
stallations. However, electrical equipment that has been incan assist in determining the appropriate personal
stalled, inspected, operated, and maintained in accordance
protective equipment (PPE) by
with the National Electrical Code (NEC) and the manuperforming arc-flash calculafacturers specifications is not likely to pose an arc flash
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
tions. While the appropriate
hazard under normal operating conditions. Unfortunately,
Know the codes and standards
PPE
should
always
be
worn
by
violent arc flash incidents are commonly results of human
that govern arc flash energy
contractors
or
maintenance
error, such as dropping a tool into the system or pulling on
calculations.
staff
while
working
on
live
loose connections. Therefore, the purpose of an arc-flash
Know how to perform an arc
equipment,
the
reality
of
the
hazard analysis is to quantify the worst-case potential risk
flash hazard analysis.
built
environment
is
that
there
to individuals working on live electrical equipment so that
Know the arc flash mitigating
are
some
situations
when
the
the minimum proper PPE can be selected to protect the
design strategies and how to
appropriate
minimum
PPE
workers from thermal burns.
implement them.
may not be enough to prevent
In recent years, the increased awareness of the dangers
serious injury, or when contractors and maintenance
associated with working on live electrical equipment has
staff are not wearing the appropriate PPE identified
prompted our national consensus standards and governfor the task.
ment agencies to invoke more stringent laws to ensure
Although the most effective way to prevent injuworker safety. NFPA 70: National Electrical Code Section
ries is to deenergize and ground equipment, there are
110.16 states that all electrical equipment that may require
various ways consulting engineers can reduce arc fl ash
work to be performed while energized, be field or factory
hazards by implementing mitigating strategies.
marked to warn qualified persons of potential electric arc
MITIGATING DESIGN STRATEGIES

The calculated incident energy is proportional to the arcing
current and the time or duration an individual is exposed
to the arc, and inversely proportional to the distance of
the worker to the arc. Therefore, solutions for minimizing
the arc flash hazard focus on reducing the arcing cur-
rent, removing the individual from direct contact with

the source (increasing the distance from the arc), and
decreasing the time it takes for the overcurrent protection
to clear the anticipated fault. Consulting engineers can
influence these variables through the power distribution
scheme they choose, the electrical distribution equipment they specify, and the relays/overcurrent protection
devices they select.
Reduced fault current: Even though incident energy
is directly proportional to fault current, a reduction in
fault current does not always correlate to reduced
incident energy. Thats because reducing fault current can result
in increased fault clearing
time, which, in turn, may
result in higher incident
energy. However, there are
Figure 2: Arc-resistant switchgear is designed
to direct the energy released from an arc flash
upward and away from personnel in front of the
equipment. Courtesy: General Electric
designs that can reduce the fault current without increasing the incident
energy. For example, a source-spot
network power-distribution scheme
provides added redundancy but lends
itself to much higher fault currents
because the transformers are paralleled. Specifying a system in a maintie-main configuration without allowing the
sources to be paralleled can achieve similar redundancy goals with much lower maximum fault current
levels. In addition, if space permits, specifying numerous
smaller transformers in lieu of a larger transformer would
reduce the total amount of fault current on the distribution system.
Workers distance: In the past, contractors were
required to manually service draw-out power circuit
breakers with a hand crank that dangerously put the
operator in close proximity to the live electrical bus in
switchgear. Several manufacturers now offer a motorized remote circuit-breaker racking device, which is an
effective method of increasing worker safety by allowing
a technician or contractor to service draw-out style power
circuit breakers outside the arc flash boundary. Increasing
the distance between operators and energized electrical
equipment significantly diminishes their exposure to arc
flash events. Remote racking systems are available in a
variety of styles, and are compatible with equipment from
flash hazards. OSHA mandates compliance with the NEC

when implementing electrical regulations that address the
employer and employee in the workplace. OSHA, however,
does not simply require a label that indicates the existence
of a potential risk, but further requires an employer to
assess the workplace to determine if arc flash and shock
hazards are present, inform its employees of the potential risks, and select and provide
the appropriate PPE required to
protect the affected employees
from the hazards identified in
the assessment. As part of this
assessment, OSHA recommends
that employers consult consensus
standards such as NFPA 70E:
Standard for Electrical Safety
in the Workplace as a guide for
hazard analyses. While OSHA
does not specifically enforce
the contents of NFPA 70E, the
standard can be used by OSHA
as evidence that a hazard exists or that there is a means of
remediating the risk.
Engineering firms are often
contracted to perform an arc
flash hazard analysis to help
their clients ensure compliance
with NFPA 70E and OSHA. The
goal of the analysis is to provide warning or danger labels
that indicate the minimum PPE
required at that particular system
location (i.e., switchboard, panelboard,
motor control center, disconnect switch,
etc.) (see Figure 1). The engineer will typically use a power
system analysis software tool to calculate the incident energy: that which would be released during an arc flash event.
Depending on the type of facility, voltage class of the system, and frequency of work to be performed on energized
equipment, engineering firms may be called upon not only
to report the findings of the arc flash hazard analysis, but
also to provide potential solutions for minimizing the risk
and reducing the available incident energy.
25
26
breakers, and ground and test devices from cubicles with

the door closed will carry a hazard risk category of zero.
Infrared windows: Preventive maintenance must be
performed to ensure equipment functions safely and
as intended. One of the most common and frequently
performed maintenance procedures is infrared thermal
scans, which are completed to detect loose cable connections so they can be properly torqued to prevent an
arc flash situation. These scans are typically performed
by opening a panel door/cover and then scanning these
connection points while the equipment is live, which is
necessary for obtaining accurate readings. This increased
chance of an arc flash when a door/cover is opened on
live equipment can be eliminated by specifying infrared
scanning windows. These windows contain a properly
placed crystal that allows thermal images to be obtained
without having to open doors or covers.
Arc clearing time: Because incident energy is directly
proportional to the duration an individual is exposed to
hazards, reducing the arc clearing time reduces the magnitude of damage that can be imposed on an individual.
One way to accomplish this is by properly sizing the overcurrent devices to match the maximum load. In many facilities, the measured load is much lower than the actual
peak load connected to a panel. Therefore, by installing
power meters on each feeder to
a panel and installing adjustable
trips on feeder breakers, the trip
settings can be easily and safely
reduced to match the actual
loads to potentially clear an arc
fault faster.
In addition, providing mains
on equipment can potentially
reduce risk to personnel. Even
though arc flash calculations
typically include the line and
load side of equipment and
therefore the arc flash warning
label would still be the same
hazard category with mains installed, the fault can be cleared
much more quickly if it occurred
on the main bus. The reduction
in incident energy would be
noticed more for those panels
downstream with a source that
is located a long distance away.
Current-limiting fuses:
Both circuit breakers and fuses
deenergize the circuit during an
overcurrent situation. However,
Figure 3: This graph represents a time-current curve of a main-tie-main unit substation with 480 Vac chillers.
implementing current-limiting
Note that the potential arc flash incident energy before applying zone-selective interlocking results in a
fuses can reduce the magnitude
Category 3 hazard. Courtesy: Environmental Systems Design
most major switchgear manufacturers with no modifications to the switchgear or circuit breakers. Various systems
are available depending on the type of racking operation
and extraction mechanism.
Arc-resistant gear: This type of switchgear is designed to contain an arc flash within the equipment,
and redirect the release of energy away from the worker
and out of the switchgear (see Figure 2). To be considered arc resistant, the equipment must be tested to ANSI
C37.20.7 in addition to all other ANSI/IEEE standards
for low-voltage metal-enclosed switchgear, including UL
1558. Arc-resistant switchgear must be labeled indicating
that the gear has been certified in accordance with ANSI
C37.20.7. Furthermore, the equipment must be labeled
indicating the operating conditions required to maintain
the arc-resistant rating. Arc-resistant switchgear can be
specified to have the arc-resistant construction at the
front only, or at the front, back, and sides. Depending
on the type specified, additional features can be added,
such as arc-resistant design between adjacent compartments or sections and arc resistant with the low-voltage
instrument compartment door open, to name a few. The
second label indicating the operating conditions is very
important to ensure the safety of the personnel. Per
NFPA 70E, operation, insertion, and removal of circuit
27
and duration of a fault current

because they have the capability
to clear a fault in less than
cycle when operating in its current-limiting range. These fuses
are also easier to coordinate
with upstream devices compared
to circuit breakersespecially in
the instantaneous region. In addition, arc flash energy calculations are performed based on the
assumption that the overcurrent
protection device will trip as intended. However, circuit breakers may not trip if not properly
exercised and maintained. But
a fuse should still open and
clear a fault even if the switching mechanism is not routinely
exercised. For current-limiting
fuses to be effective in reducing
the arc flash hazard, the estimated arcing fault current should
be within the current-limiting
range of the fuses current-time
Figure 4: This graph represents a time-current curve of a main-tie-main unit substation with 480 Vac chillers.
characteristic.
Note that the potential arc flash incident energy before applying zone-selective interlocking results in a
Zone-selective interlocking/
Category 1 hazard. Courtesy: Environmental Systems Design
differential relaying: A common
Similarly, differential relaying can be used to provide
method for reducing an arc flash hazard is adjusting the
this selective coordination and reduce the clearing times.
trip settings in a circuit breaker to clear the arcing curFor example, a bus differential relaying scheme measures
rent more quickly. Unfortunately, the trade-off with this
the current entering a bus versus the current leaving a bus.
approach is a reduction in the coordination of the system.
Therefore, if a fault occurs on the bus, the resulting unbalSelective coordination in power distribution systems is
anced current would cause the main device to trip instangood engineering practice that is also code-required for
taneously to reduce the arc flash incident energy. These
life safety emergency systems and hospital facilities. A
two schemes are compliant options that meet a relatively
selectively coordinated system minimizes loss in revnew addition to the NEC for reducing arc energy.
enue and risks that can harm occupants by automatically
Reduced-energy maintenance mode: Another codedeenergizing the minimal portion of a power distribution
compliant solution for reducing arc energy is the use of a
system when removing hazards caused by an abnormal
reduced-energy maintenance switch. Various manufaccondition. To accomplish this task, an upstream overcurturers offer circuit breakers equipped with this reducedrent protective device must have a longer trip setting than
energy maintenance trip unit that modifies the tripping
downstream overcurrent protective devices. However, this
response of a circuit breaker. During normal operation, the
reduced arc clearing time causes increased arc flash energy
settings of the circuit breaker are chosen for protection and
(see Figure 3).
coordination. During maintenance operation, the settings
Maintaining selective coordination while reducing arc
are chosen to rapidly clear the anticipated arcing current.
flash energy can be achieved with zone selective interThis allows the operator to put the breaker into maintelocking (see Figure 4). With this scheme, a downstream
nance mode when performing work downstream, and
breaker closest to the fault condition sends a signal to the
return the circuit breaker to its original trip settings upon
upstream device to restrain from tripping instantaneously,
completion of the work. Some manufacturers offer fieldallowing this downstream device to trip instantaneously
installable systems that can be easily retrofitted to existing
to clear the hazard and minimize the outage. However, if
circuit breakers and trip units.
a fault occurred between the main and feeder device, the
Not all of these solutions can easily be implemented on
main would trip instantaneously because this restraint
every project. The consulting engineer must evaluate budsignal is not sent from the feeder breaker.
28
get, phase of design or construction, and required continuity of service or coordination before choosing the desired
mitigation technique. Installing arc-resistant switchgear,
for example, is very expensive and is certainly not a good
option for mitigating hazards in an existing system as this
would cause serious interruption of service at a high premium for construction costs and labor. Using remote-racking
devices or retrofitting reduced-energy maintenance breakers may be better alternatives for existing systems. When
clients indicate a desire to increase worker safety, consider
implementing these design strategies and have confidence
that the magnitude of incident energy experienced during
an arc flash can be reduced drastically.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Michael J. Mar is an electrical engineer at ESD (Environmental Systems Design Inc.) and implements sustainable and
reliable design solutions to various mission critical facilities,
high-rise buildings, and large-scale complex developments.
Robert K. Sandy is an electrical engineer at ESD specializing
in sustainable high-performance buildings in domestic and
international commercial markets.
AD INDEX
Caterpillar - Northeast - pg 11
402
www.NECatDealers.com/power
CFE Media, Engineering Is Personal - pg 28

630-571-4070
www.cfemedia.com
CSE Editorial Research Studies - pg 21

630-571-4070
www.csemag.com/research
CSE Webcasts - pg 23
630-571-4070
www.csemag.com/webcast
Cummins Power Generation - pg 6

401
800-888-6626
www.QSK95SeriesLaunch.com/event
Fluke Corp. - pg 19
888-443-5853
403
www.fluke.com
Kohler - pg C-4
800-544-2444
404
www.KOHLERPOWER.COM/INDUSTRIAL
Lets connect socially - pg 15

630-571-4070
www.csemag.com/connect/social-media
Russelectric Inc. - pg C-2
800-225-5250
Solutions for Engineers - pg C-3
630-571-4070
400
www.russelectric.com
www.csemag.com
Engineering is personal.
So is the way you use information.

CFE Media delivers a world of knowledge to you. Personally.
To do your job better
each day, you need a
trusted source of
information: CFE Media
Content For Engineers.
CFE Media is home to
three of the most trusted
names in the business:
provides the latest knowledge

on commercial and
institutional facility construction
and management.
delivers a wide array of

strategies and solutions to
help control system designers
create a more efficient process.
delivers plant-floor knowledge

and expertise to help
manufacturers operate smarter,
safer and more efficiently.
Visit www.csemag.com
Visit www.controleng.com
Visit www.plantengineering.com
Supporting Engineers In-Person,

Offering High-Value Content
In-Print and Online
40 Under 40: The Consulting-Specifying Engineer 40 Under 40
program was born out of Consulting-Specifying Engineers ongoing mission
to foster mentoring in the engineering industry. 40 of the most talented
young professionals supporting the building community are nominated by their
mentors and honored throughout the year in print, online, and in person.
Product of the Year: 2014 marks the 10th year that

Consulting-Specifying Engineer holds the annual Product of the Year
(POY) contest. It is the premier award for new products in the HVAC, fire,
electrical, lighting, and plumbing systems engineering markets.
Look for the POY winners online at www.csemag.com/POY.
MEP Giants:
The MEP Giants program features the top mechanical,

electrical, plumbing (MEP), and fire protection engineering firms, listed by
total MEP design revenue. For 34 years, the MEP Giants list is used by many
engineering firms to track their growth and prominence within the MEP
engineering industry. Please look for the full MEP Giants special feature
on www.csemag.com/giants.
Webcasts: Need some continuing education? Look no further than

www.csemag.com/webcast. Topics covering every verticalcritical power,
lighting, fire and life safety, HVAC, codes and standards, data centers
give engineers a great opportunity to learn about the latest industry
practice while getting FREE CEU credits.
eNewsletters: The wide array of eNewsletters gives engineers a
way to stay on top of the latest news in a convenient and easy-to-read
electronic format. Sign up for Fire & Life Safety; Electrical Solutions; HVAC;
Pure Power; Product and Media Showcase; Codes & Standards; Newswatch:
Hospitals; and Newswatch: Data Centers.
www.csemag.com:
CSEmag.com is a highly rated industry

website with industry news updated throughout the day, a top-notch search
engine that segments results by category, and thousands of archived articles.
Youll also find Webcasts, videos, case studies, and eNewslettersan
all-around go-to site to gather information and find solutions.
Subscribe today at
www.csemag.com/subscribe
TOTAL SYSTEM INTEGRATION

GENERATORS
TRANSFER SWITCHES
SWITCHGEAR
CONTROLS
KOHLER power systems are built to work. Period. Before our systems
see the light of day, they endure some of the industrys toughest testing
standards. Including power, transients, sound, cooling and complete
system performance.
So when Mother Nature comes knocking, your clients business wont miss
a beat.
SPEC YOUR JOB AT KOHLERPOWER.COM/INDUSTRIAL

Power Systems

Pure Power Sep14

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Pure Power Sep14

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The best power control systems

are equipped with redundant PLC controllers

The typical power system is controlled

2 Designing data center

Designing efcient and reliable data center

Engineers should consider the

Knowing where and how much

Engineers should know about

PURE POWER / / FALL 2014

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

Designing data center

ata centers are among the hottest

mission critical when their operation is

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

domain, such as a corporation or

 Have components with redundant capacity.

 Maintain duel-powered IT equipment.

 Have multiple distribution paths to the servers.

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

equipment. From the ATS, the power goes to the servers

there. The more equipment introduced, the more points of

Figure 4: Although data center design can be complex, the completed

part of the life safety system. Nevertheless, the generators

Eduard Pacuku is electrical project engineer at Jacobs, where

The Power of More.

Introducing the QSK95 Series of high-horsepower generator sets.

input #401 at www.csemag.com/information

Networked Electrical Systems

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

By Danna Jensen, PE, LEED AP BD+C, ccrd partners, Dallas

through networked electrical systems

cal system not only includes the electrical

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

Networked Electrical Systems

turing, governmental, data centers, and higher education

Prior to implementation, however, it is important to assess

Some monitoring solutions may be as simple as monitoring

MEASUREMENT AND VERIFICATION

You cant manage what

Networked Electrical Systems

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

and anticipated return on investment (ROI) renders the

tions inside the facility, such

Networked Electrical Systems

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

Improved efficiencies between integrated systems:

Figure 3: Energy management has created a strong motivation to fully

strates value to the owners. Collecting and analyzing data

Danna Jensen is associate principal at ccrd in Dallas.

ONE NAME YOU CAN COUNT ON

H.O. Penn Machinery

Giles & Ransome Inc.

PURE POWER // FALL 2014

Smart Grid Roundtable

By Jack Smith, Managing Editor

Figure 1: A sophisticated BAS at the projected LEED Platinum

Integrating commercial buildings,

KJWW often uses the BAS as a common platform in these

Smart Grid Roundtable

Meet our Smart Grid

STEVEN COLLIER, director,

Q: How has the relationship

JOHN COOPER, business

ities more aggressively sought

Have components with redundant capacity.

Maintain duel-powered IT equipment.

Have multiple distribution paths to the servers.