Energy Management Information System Powers NREL's Intelligent Campus - Department of Energy
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Energy Management
Information System
Powers NREL’s
Intelligent Campus
As part of the U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE) Federal Energy
Management Program (FEMP), the
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) leverages its buildings and
onsite distributed energy resources
(DER) as research instruments within Figure 1. Dashboards, such as this prototype energy performance view, offer live
its Intelligent Campus program. Real, visualization of on-site energy loads and generation at NREL’s Research Support
Facility. The gauges inform operators whether energy consumption in each category is
quantitative energy measurements within, above, or below its expected range. Illustration by Marjorie Schott, NREL
from NREL’s campus are used to
study renewable energy, energy A Lab-Wide Intelligent • Leverage data insights to optimize
efficiency, energy storage, and Campus Program for campus operations
systems integration. Clear, Consistent Energy • Enable hybrid operations and research
Performance Data initiatives.
At the heart of NREL’s Intelligent
When NREL constructed its net-zero The Intelligent Campus program
Campus program is its Energy
Research Support Facility (RSF) in enables implementation of leading-edge
Management Information System
2010, researchers were interested in energy efficiency, analytics, and control
(EMIS), a family of tools and services
monitoring, studying, and authenticating strategies across NREL’s campuses.
used to store, analyze, and display
the building’s actual energy performance. NREL’s Intelligent Campus program
energy use and facility performance
The lab needed a unified approach to further positions NREL as a leader in
data for management of building
gathering performance data within a defining facility operations best practices.
and campus energy use. EMIS is an
single, well-defined architecture to avoid To ensure the success of the program
umbrella term that covers energy
differences in naming conventions, as a highly collaborative, integrated,
meter analytics, condition-based
organization, and data quality. campus-wide effort, it was housed
monitoring (CBM), meter data
within the lab’s Site Operations team and
management systems, and fault This need inspired NREL to launch
allocated permanent funding, rather than
detection and diagnostics (FDD). its Intelligent Campus program, with
project-based funding. The Intelligent
NREL’s Intelligent Campus program objectives to:
Campus team includes NREL staff
develops innovative analytics and from directorates and centers across the
• Organize, analyze, and present campus
visualization to help operators improve laboratory, enabling collaboration between
energy and water data to provide
energy performance. The EMIS serves operational and research insights researchers and building operators. Tenets
as a demonstration environment for of the program include open standards for
other federal facilities interested in • Demonstrate ongoing performance data organization and communication and
learning about its design, features, excellence in meeting federal the use of widely adopted, industry-built
and benefits. requirements and goals tools to reduce operating costs.
1
NREL’s EMIS by the numbers
· 2 Colorado campuses
· 250 electrical meters
· 28,000 data points
· 1-second to 15-minute data logging
intervals
· 100+ integrated, 240-V electric vehicle
charging stations.
Figure 2. NREL’s Intelligent Campus program implemented an EMIS that standardizes data, facilitates reporting, and enables new
insights for 33 buildings across two campuses, including its South Table Mountain campus in Golden, Colorado (shown here).
Illustration by Josh Bauer, NREL
Designing an EMIS to Meet • The historian layer stores time series
Organizational Goals data and associated metadata in one or
EMIS for a “Living
more databases, providing this data to
An EMIS software platform can be Laboratory”
applications on request.
broken down into three functional NREL’s campus operates as a
elements—scope, stack, and • The applications layer consists of all living laboratory that integrates
capabilities. These elements comprise high-level analysis tools that rely on power from various sources
a system of devices, data services, and collected data. (including solar panels and other
software applications that aggregate on-campus energy generation
facility data and aid in the optimization • The controls layer is a separate,
technology) to address a range of
of energy use at the building, campus, secure feedback loop that supports
energy needs such as electric
or agency level. applications that affect the operation
vehicle charging for staff and
of building devices in an automated or
visitors. Researchers and
semi-automated manner.
EMIS Scope operations staff manage the
The EMIS scope includes data from system, determining how to
utility bills, real-time weather, interval EMIS Capabilities balance the load to maximize
meters, building automation systems, The NREL Intelligent Campus renewable generation while
DERs, electric vehicle charging EMIS provides the following new minimizing energy consumption
infrastructure, and facility systems of and expanded energy management and peak demand.
record. capabilities:
• Centralization, normalization, far more granularity than monthly
EMIS Stack and visualization of facility data utility bills.
The EMIS stack includes several streamlines analysis and reporting,
layers of devices, data services, and allows users to identify patterns • Automated FDD tools allow 24/7
applications that meet facility and in the data that would be difficult tracking of system performance for any
researcher needs: detect otherwise, enables portfolio control system monitored by the EMIS.
management via a single interface, and
• The driver layer includes the promotes energy awareness among • Supervisory control for electric
hardware and software responsible building occupants. vehicle supply equipment enables
for communicating between the adjustment of the amount of electricity
EMIS scope and the historian layer. • Interval meter analytics capture meter drawn by charging equipment
It provides protocol translation and data at subhourly intervals, providing dynamically to limit campus peak
network load balancing. demand.
2
NREL Intelligent Campus Scope, Stack, and Capabilities For instance, if electric vehicle charging
stations approach peak usage, an
Third-Party EMIS Software Custom Apps operational decision to reduce the
available charging rates reduces unwanted
peak demand costs. The dashboard system
EMIS could also catch an aberration in usage—
CAPABILITIES
Interval Meter FDD Centralize, Measurement Utility Bill Supervisory such as the lights automatically powering
& Verification Management
Analytics Normalize,
Visualize Data
Control
up on a holiday when the lab is closed—
spurring a correction that saves energy
EMIS and money. Researchers can display
STACK data to tell different stories to visitors
Integration Historian Applications Control
and stakeholders about their work and
secure funding for projects in the future.
EMIS These novel visualizations allow experts
SCOPE Utility Bills Weather Data Advanced
Metering
Building
Automation
Distributed
Energy Resources
and nonexperts alike to understand,
Infrastructure
(AMI)
System (BAS) (DER)
appreciate, and emulate the exciting work
taking place at NREL.
Figure 3. NREL’s Intelligent Campus is powered by a range of EMIS capabilities,
executed using several types of energy management software. The EMIS scope Advanced Analytics
includes the building systems and integrated data sources. The EMIS stack includes NREL’s EMIS features advanced
several different layers of devices, data services, and applications that meet facility visualization and automated FDD/CBM
and researcher needs. Illustration by Fred Zietz, NREL capabilities that allow the site operations
team to identify opportunities for
EMIS Benefits more clear and effective identification performance improvement. These tools
NREL’s Intelligent Campus Program of energy opportunities across both vastly reduce the time required to find
EMIS includes improved reporting, real campuses. performance issues by standard methods,
time analytics, and opportunities to better such as trend visualization and analysis.
utilize building performance data. Better Data—And Storytelling Tools This capability is used to identify
equipment and component failures,
for Communicating Research
performance degradation, system design
Efficient Reporting and Identification Anyone at NREL may access live data issues, controllability issues, operator
of Energy Savings Opportunities from the Intelligent Campus dashboards, overrides, and incorrect sequences of
NREL’s two campuses feature 33 encouraging individual accountability and operation, and assists in preventative
buildings that are individually metered empowering users to adjust their energy maintenance measures.
for electricity, natural gas, and hot and environment based on the information.
chilled water where appropriate. The
Intelligent Campus EMIS enables NREL Automatic/single point change control Unified Application
to meet federal reporting requirements Metadata Programming Interface
by conducting performance assessments BAS
of individual buildings and across the Solar
Photovoltaic
entire organization. Whole building Electric
meters and submeters are used to Vehicles
Energy
identify energy efficiency opportunities, Storage
Load Balancer
detect operational trends within the Drivers Historian Processing Applications
buildings, and set more ambitious Other Cloud
organizational greenhouse gas emissions
and sustainability goals. Additionally,
monitoring and measurement capabilities Controller Signals
of the EMIS were key in NREL’s
Figure 4. Multiple layers of the EMIS stack work together for enhanced analytics
achievement of International Organization
and building energy management. Drivers manage communication between the
for Standardization (ISO) 50001
data sources in the Scope (left) and the historical data stored in the Historian layer
certification in energy management
(center) and provide collected data to the Applications layer (right). The system then
systems. Creating an EMIS allows for
communicates to the Controls layer, potentially modifying the operation of building
integration of both detailed interval data devices. Illustration by Marjorie Schott, NREL
and high-level campus summary data for
3This will enable easy data collection
NREL’s EMIS by the numbers and more robust analytics. Smart Energy Strategies for
• 2 Colorado campuses Federal Facilities
• Effective EMIS requires engagement
• 250 electrical meters at all levels. Planning an EMIS is a FEMP collects and promulgates
• 28,000 data points team project, from low-level building best practices and information for
• 1-minute to 15-minute data automation system programming to federal agency staff to understand,
logging intervals management-level strategy. The EMIS design, procure, and implement
requires data, resources for analyzing
• 123 integrated Level 2 electric EMIS as a valuable component of
the data, and a plan to use the findings.
vehicle charging stations Building operator accountability to act their portfolio-level energy and
on recommendations identified through water planning, metering, and
Lessons Learned from a FDD or CBM is essential to access the management strategies.
full benefit of the system.
Successful Campus-Wide FEMP supports to federal facilities
EMIS Implementation • An effective process is as important considering EMIS for improved site
For facilities considering an EMIS, as the technology. It is possible to management to enhance energy
NREL’s Intelligent Campus team offers build an effective data collection performance, reduce costs,
several key learnings from its own system and identify problems through
and meet energy goals.
implementation experience. FDD or CBM, but an actionable
strategy is just as important to realize
• Start with a one-building pilot. the value of the findings.
NREL successfully specified,
procured, and deployed an EMIS as a • Consistent metadata semantics
one-building pilot and then deployed is critical. A current challenge in
it to all facilities. Starting small allows building energy performance research
the team to identify what works and is a lack of standardization and
what approaches need modification in organization across the vast quantity
future expansions. of data generated by the smart devices
in our homes, buildings, factories, and
• Implement controls standards. cities. NREL is using its EMIS as part
Translating a campus’s worth of of a new open-source effort to develop
building automation system points into naming conventions and taxonomies
an EMIS depends on consistent and for equipment and operational data, or Fort Carson’s utility-scale lithium ion
accurate naming, proper exposure of “points,” within building and energy battery energy storage system. Photo by
all data that need to be monitored, and systems to overcome these challenges Dennis Schroeder, NREL
programming that follows standard and unlock value from the plethora of
controls practices. Inconsistencies new data from these devices.
make point mapping extremely
laborious and sometimes impossible. Learn More
NREL’s legacy control systems exhibit
For questions about EMIS, email
many of these problems. NREL is
Jefferey Murrell at Jefferey.Murrell@
developing stringent controls standards
ee.doe.gov.
so that future controls implementations
will follow standard naming, point For more information about NREL’s
lists, and programming conventions. Intelligent Campus program, contact
Michelle Slovensky at Michelle.
Slovensky@nrel.gov.
EMIS is a team project, from
low-level building automation
For more information, visit:
system programming to
energy.gov/eere/femp
management-level strategy.
DOE/GO-102021-5443 • February 2021
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