An automated IT application for ensuring sustainable savings with load shift systems

Abstract

In this project, an Information Technology (IT) application was developed that processes and analyses data that is generated by systems that manage the electrical power consumption of large energy consumers. Because of the volume of this data, and the time usually consumed in processing it manually, (for example, by using Excel spreadsheets) an automated system was required that does the processing as well as the analysis. The name "REMS Sentinel" was given to this application. It is divided into two parts, one of which has already been implemented on a number of gold mines. The first part processes each day's data from the Energy Management System (EMS) and then transfers only the most important information to a remote central database. The processed data can then be viewed on a web page, or on a cell phone through a specially designed Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) web site. The second part of REMS Sentinel then uses the processed data to generate reports by means of which the previous day's performance of the EMS can be monitored. The need for such an automated data processing system has arisen from the advent of Eskom's Demand Side Management (DSM) program. The purpose of this is to reduce the energy consumption of large energy users during peak hours each day. The Real-time Energy Management System (REMS) was designed to contribute to the solution of this problem. REMS uses real-time simulation and control parameters to schedule the consumption of energy during peak hours. However, REMS generates a large amount of data whilst controlling, for example, mine equipment in real time. This data is used to calculate the load that was shifted during peak hours, and to calculate the money that was saved during each month. Previously, these calculations were carried out manually, which resulted in huge time delays. REMS Sentinel solved this problem and enables one operator to monitor several installations simultaneously.