Energy Management System for New Energy Improves Revenue by 28%

Can you imagine your power for production and living be properly arranged at any time? Can you imagine your power costs be reduced invisibly? Can you imagine seeing energy flows clearly at any time? Can you imagine receiving notice on excessive energy consumption?

All such are no longer imaginations, but what’s happening right now; all these have been helping enterprises resume work, resume production and win the battle against COVID-19 in an efficient manner!

Newly emerged technologies are changing the way of production and living. Supported by Big Data, cloud computing and AI technology and on an active exploration of energy interconnection technology, the micro-grid intelligent EMS of TBEA Sunoasis is playing its role to the fullest in this special period.

This system integrates AI and energy Internet technology to forge the perfect “dual terminal” micro-grid intelligent EMS and solution for “station and cloud terminals”, which is not only a “timely” solution for industrial business, but also a way to “reduce costs and make profits”.

1. Long-term Dual Reduce of Fees under the Policy of Two Part Tariff

To optimize enterprise capacity/demand and reduce energy cost in a proper manner is an important way for enterprise to lower cost and improve profitability in the long term, and also an urgent need for enterprises with high energy-consumption. Against such background, TBEA’s micro-grid intelligent EMS is born.

To reduce power cost of enterprise during the battle against COVID-19, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued the latest notice on February 7 specifying that “adopt the policy of supporting two-part tariff to reduce enterprises’ power cost during battle against COVID-19, and lengthen the period for change of charging method of capacity/demand tariff and the period for capacity reduce (suspension) for enterprises that cannot open or resume work during such period”.

NDRC’s requirements shows that capacity/demand charges counts a rather important part in enterprises’ power costs. However, what actually faces most enterprises is that the maximum demand for preliminary filing based on multiple needs such as capacity growth and business development is usually much higher than the actual demand, and that’s why enterprises keep having rather higher costs in power.

Regarding the typical two-part tariff mode for large industrial enterprises, intelligent EMS adopts the multiple target optimization and scheduling algorithm to better solve the multiple target optimization of lowering the difference arbitrage between maximum demand and peak valley tariff and further realize dual decrease of “capacity/demand tariff + electricity tariff”, achieving both economic and environmental efficiency.

Effects are instant. In the TBEA Xi’an Industrial Park, the coordinated source-grid-load-storage micro-grid demonstration project of 2.14MWp roof PV + 1MW/1MWh lithium iron phosphate storage system has been operating in parallel with the grid for a year. The intelligent EMS of this project utilizes the optimization strategy of “dual decrease” to save an extra RMB 570,000 of electricity fees and the project benefits are improved by 28% compared with traditional independent distributed PV station and power storage station, with the annual revenue exceeding RMB 2.55 million and annual comprehensive operation costs reduced by more than 60%.

2. What’s “Dual Terminal” Structure? Scheduling on the Station Terminal and Perception on the Cloud Terminal

The micro-grid EMS of TBEA Sunoasis is told to adopt the “dual terminal” system structure of “station terminal” and “cloud terminal”. That is, the station terminal system can be configured in advance by inputting regular parameters for the micro-grid system to operate and the operation mode of micro-grid can be switched as required; and the cloud terminal system logged in via web page can perform operation monitoring, data statistics, malfunction pre-alarm, operation and maintenance analysis, energy consumption analysis, power efficiency analysis and economic analysis of the entire project.

By relying on the ecology of data on the cloud platform and AI technology, “station terminal and cloud terminal” are like two gears that complement each other, holding on each other tightly and working in collaboration to maximum their energy. In such way the micro-grid can operate safely and stably, achieving “unattended operation” locally in the true sense as well as overall perception and remote operation and maintenance of power generation and consumption of enterprises.

3. Active Management on the Demand Side: Refined Power Consumption

Issues faced by enterprises with high energy consumption such as high energy costs, energy waste and environmental pollution have limited their development and conducting active management on the demand side for such enterprises is becoming a must. TBEA micro-grid intelligent EMS has four major functions including energy consumption monitoring, energy consumption statistics, energy consumption evaluation and energy consumption alarm.

Energy consumption monitoring: monitor the operation of power generation and power consumption in real time and by energy consumption hot spot graph and Sankey energy flow graph, energy data becomes visible and users can clearly learn about the usage of energy.

Energy consumption statistics: based on the analysis of big data cloud platform, it provides the analysis chart on a year-on-year or month-on-month basis and explores deeply the enterprises’ potential in energy-saving.

Energy consumption evaluation: uses energy utilization efficiency and energy consumption cost for unit production as management index for KPI evaluation of energy efficiency, achieves multiple dimensional analysis and management of energy efficiency and helps users formulate effective evaluation means on the demand side.

Energy consumption alarm: pay attention to key energy consumption equipment and alarm will be sent to users once such equipment exceeds the set threshold for energy consumption; in this way, it prevents “excessive usage” and reduces energy wastes.

Refined management on the demand side can help users in a more intelligent and friendly manner regarding energy conservation and emission reduction, improving of quality and promotion of effectiveness, making energy smart and efficient.

4. Precise Forecast & Intelligent Scheduling: “Customized” Generation and Consumption Plan Based on Demand

The reason for the “dual terminal” EMS of TBEA Sunoasis to achieve dual decrease of tariff and refined management on energy consumption is primarily due to the two core algorithms of AI-aided power forecast and optimized scheduling. Power forecast algorithm can precisely forecast PV generation and load power consumption and by optimized scheduling algorithm, source, load and storage in the micro-grid can be controlled and adjusted in a precise manner, which eventually realizes coordinated control of source, grid, load and storage of the plant, optimizes power consumption scheduling in an intelligent manner and provides reliable and low-cost power supply for production, working and living.

Power forecast takes advantage of the big data system and deep learning algorithm and can forecast the load power consumption and PV generation in the micro-grid system, supporting not only super-short term forecast of 0-4 hours, but also the short term forecast of 0-24 hours; mid-to-long term forecast is also available based on the power consumption features of enterprise users, which can forecast the trend of load power consumption and PV generation in the coming 7 days (168 hours). Average rolling forecast accuracy is 90% with its maximum reaching 96% and forecasts of different time periods provides data support for users to arrange their power generation and consumption plan for production and living in a proper manner.

Optimized scheduling algorithm adopts the optimal planning algorithm and based on the source, grid, load and storage equipment in different intelligent scheduling micro-grid systems, it considers the multiple targets including operation fee, depreciation fee and load-switch cost in a comprehensive manner, satisfies multiple restricted conditions at the same time and provides customized operation modes such as most economical, scheduling repose, line inter-switch power control, low carbon environmental friendly and isolated operation mode, as well as multiple benefiting mode including tariff management by different time period, tariff management by demand, supporting service reward and substitute by diesel.

The system is based on massive history data and analysizes the power consumption habits in a deep manner, conducts intelligent scheduling of power generation and consumption unit by real time, arranges power consumption plan for production and living in a proper manner so as to reduce significantly human involvement, providing users with a brand new way for power generation and consumption management.

5. “Dual Terminal” EMS: “Good Promoter” for Energy Internet Grid Management Based on Micro-Grid 

In the invisible war against COVID-19, grid management on the grassroots plays an important role. In the meantime, with the development of power electronics, AI technology and digitalization technology, micro-grid will act as the intelligent grid unit of energy Internet driving the future reform of energy.

We know that intelligent micro-grid has fine local autonomy which can promote regional consumption of new energy, respond to peak and frequency regulation of grid in a rapid manner, effectively improve power quality as well as operate independently and enhance the reliability of power system as an effective supplement to the big grid. Intelligent micro-grid is an intelligent grid unit that can be adjusted and controlled, which is an innovative practice of gridding.

Regarding realization of grid management of energy Internet based on intelligent micro-grid, “dual terminal” EMS is one of the best promoters and plays an important role during the special period of battle against COVID-19. Besides, to realize grid management of intelligent micro-grid, in addition to the “dual terminal” EMS introduced here, there’s another core equipment that cannot be omitted---power router.

What on earth is “power router”? What important role is it going to play in promoting the upgrade of power distribution network? What changes will it bring to the energy Internet? Let’s discuss it next time.