Development of a data consolidation platform for a web-based energy information system

Abstract

Global energy constraints and economic conditions have placed large energy consumers under pressure to conserve resources. Several governments have acknowledged this and have employed policies to address energy shortages. In South Africa, the lacking electrical infrastructure caused severe electricity supply shortages during recent years. To alleviate the shortage, the government has revised numerous energy policies. Consumers stand to gain financially if they embrace the opportunities offered by the revised policies. Energy management systems provide a framework that ensures alignment with specifications of the respective programs. Such a system requires a data consolidation platform to import and manage relevant data. A stored combination of consumption data, production data and financial data can be used to extract information for numerous reporting applications. This study discusses the development of a data consolidation platform. The platform is used to collect and maintain energy related data. The platform is capable of consolidating a wide range of energy and production data into a single data set. The generic platform architecture offers users the ability to manage a wide range of data from several sources. In order to generate reports, the platform was integrated with an existing software based energy management system. The integrated system provides a web-based interface that allows the generation and distribution of various reports. To do this the system accesses the consolidated data set. The developed energy information tool is used by an ESCo to gather and consolidate data from multiple client systems into a single repository. Specific reports are generated by the integrated system and can be targeted at both consumers and governing bodies. The system complies with draft legislative guidelines and has been successfully implemented as a energy information tool in practice.