EFFICIENT ENERGY MANAGEMENT SUMIR BAJAJ

EFFICIENT ENERGY MANAGEMENT

ABSTRACT
Energy Management is gaining more and more importance as our energy resources are depleting by
the day. Efficient Energy Management consists of techniques that ensure efficient Generation,
Transmission and Utilization of Electrical Energy devices such as energy efficient lamps i.e. CFL’s,
LED’s, rotary compressors for Air Conditioners, etc are gaining popularity. Apart from these, some
Automation techniques and Energy Management Software’s are Instrumental in Efficient Energy
Utilization.

In the present era Smart Power Grids, Smart Energy Meters and smart devices are being
developed which can communicate with each other using power line and wireless communication
protocols & hence ensure using energy in an efficient manner. Research on better Energy storage
Batteries and Clean energy resources such as Solar Power, Bio-Energy, Wind Turbines, Fuel Cells etc
are being encouraged.

INTRODUCTION

Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the
amount of energy required to provide products and services. The energy efficiency of the electrical
and electronic devices are gaining importance and hence they are now being categorised using the
star rating which has been adopted as a common standard by the ISO.

The smart grid which is an improved version of the older types of power grids has incorporated
proper communication protocols which are used to communicate with the smart meters and hence
with the smart devices. The smart meters are electronic meters which communicate with the smart
grids and also with the local devices to be able to regulate the load. The meters have network
compatibility and hence these can communicate with the computers so that the user can view his
meter readings with graphical representations sitting anywhere in the world. The energy
consumption of each meter connected to the grid at any given time is available to the grid personal.

The fallowing sections discuss about the above and some other Efficient Energy Management
Schemes.

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SMART GRIDS

Smart Grids:

A smart grid delivers electricity from suppliers to consumers using digital technology with two-way
communications to control appliances at consumers' homes to save energy, reduce cost and increase
reliability and transparency.

The sense of grid is as a network, and should not be taken to imply a particular physical layout, or
breadth. "Grid" may be used to refer to an entire continent's electrical network, a regional
transmission network or may be used to describe a sub network such as a local utility's transmission
grid or distribution grid.

Electricity in a remote location might be provided by a simple distribution grid linking a central
generator to homes. The traditional paradigm for moving electricity around in developed countries is
more complex. Generating plants are usually located near a source of water, and away from heavily
populated areas. They are usually quite large in order to take advantage of the Economies of scale.
The electric power which is generated is stepped up to a higher voltage—at which it connects to the
transmission network.

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The smart grid is made possible by applying sensing, measurement and control devices with two-way
communications to electricity production, transmission, distribution and consumption parts of the
power grid that communicate information about grid condition to system users, operators and
automated devices, making it possible to dynamically respond to changes in grid condition.

A smart grid includes an intelligent monitoring system that keeps track of all electricity flowing in the
system. It also incorporates the use of superconductive transmission lines for less power loss, as well
as the capability of integrating renewable electricity such as solar and wind.

When power is least expensive the user can allow the smart grid to turn on selected home
appliances such as washing machines or factory processes that can run at arbitrary hours. At peak
times it could turn off selected appliances to reduce demand.

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SMART METERS

Smart meters are updated, digital versions of the traditional electricity meter attached to the outside

of your home. These new meters not only measure how much electricity is used, but also at what

times during the day. Smart meters are designed to gather pricing and usage information from the

utility company, and in real-time communicate what electricity is being used. Traditional electricity

meters do not communicate when power is used, but only the total value of the power used each

month. The smart meter can also communicate with smart appliances in the home.

ICs Make Meters Smart

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Power Electronics Technology uses these integrated circuit chips to provide high-accuracy monitoring
of active and reactive power — so that utilities can realize improved billing accuracy and power
quality monitoring for commercial, industrial, and residential applications. Some units also feature
tamper detection.

The ICs enable smart electricity meters to deliver improved user billing accuracy, advanced power-
quality monitoring, and reduced operating costs for utility companies. The metering ICs can measure
total active and reactive energy with high accuracy and dynamic range exceeding Class 0.2
specifications for energy meters.

SMART ENERGY DEVICES

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Smart Energy Devices are those devices which communicate with the Smart Meters which intern
communicate with the Smart Grids. The smart Grid regulates the prices of power throughout the day
as a function of the load at that point of times of the day, i.e. the more the load the higher is the price.
These changed prices are updated in the smart meters and hence communicates this information to the
smart energy devices. The smart energy device say for example a washing machine or a dishwasher or
even a water pump could be programmed in such a way that they will only work when the prices of
electricity are lowest during the day, of course these programmed instructions can always be override
as and when required.

The following is a schematic of GE’s Smart Appliances:

ENERGY AUTOMATION

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Energy Automation deals with the efficient energy management.

Energy Automation Systems Inc. (EASI) designs and installs custom energy conservation systems

proven to:

 reduce electrical energy consumption

 decrease greenhouse gas emissions
 improve power quality, power factor and voltage
 increase electrical system capacity
 reduce unnecessary heat
 improve cooling capacity of air conditioning and refrigeration
 lengthen lives of motors, lights, air conditioning and refrigeration

Power quality

Many facilities experience poor power quality due to distorted electrical current, often referred to as
harmonics. Harmonic current is made up of current drawn at frequencies well above the frequency of
the utility electrical supply. Poor power quality can result in higher costs and potentially damaging
effects on equipment.

A facility's newest equipment is often responsible for this harmonic current. Notorious
creators of harmonic current include computers; UPS systems; office equipment;
programmable logic controllers; variable frequency AC motor drives; DC motor drives;
rectifiers and arcing and induction heating systems. The very equipment purchased to reduce
energy costs can sometimes increase the harmonic current.

Power Management

Power management is a feature of some electrical appliances, especially copiers, computers and
computer peripherals such as monitors and printers that turns off the power or switches the system
to a low-power state when inactive.

  

BUILDING AUTOMATION

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Building automation describes the functionality provided by the control system of a building. A
building automation system (BAS) is an example of a distributed control system. The control system
is a computerized, intelligent network of electronic devices, designed to monitor and control the
mechanical and lighting systems in a building.

BAS core functionality keeps the building climate within a specified range, provides lighting based on
an occupancy schedule, and monitors system performance and device failures and provides email
and/or text notifications to building engineering staff. The BAS functionality reduces building energy
and maintenance costs when compared to a non-controlled building. A building controlled by a BAS
is often referred to as an intelligent building system.

Building Automation is instrumental in Energy Management and ensures minimum Energy

consumption and no wastage of energy.

HYBRID POWER SYSTEMS

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Hybrid power systems are designed for the generation of electrical power. They are generally
independent of large centralized electric grids and are used in remote areas. Hybrid systems
by definition contain a number of power generation devices such as wind turbines,
photovoltaic, micro-hydro and/or fossil fuel generators. Hybrid power systems range from
small systems designed for one or several homes to very large ones for remote island grids or
large communities.

Hybrid power systems are seen as a way to provide power to the many remote communities
in the developing world where the costs for large scale expansion of electrical grids are
prohibitive and the transportation costs of diesel fuel are also very high.

The use of renewable power generation systems reduces the use of expensive fuels, allows
for the cleaner generation of electrical power and also improves the standard of living for
many people in remote areas.

REFERENCES:

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1. http://www.geappliances.com/home-energy-manager/prepare-for-future.htm

2. http://www.energyautomation.com/

3. http://images.google.com/

4. standards.ieee.org/colorbooks/sampler/Bronzebook.pdf

5. ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/abs_all.jsp?arnumber=1613757

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