Objectives

The main objectives were to achieve maximum energy efficiency and maintain the level of comfort for customers. These two objectives can be divided into the following:

• Electric energy supervision and management of each centre: to optimise energy consumption in each centre and reduce the bill through both lower consumption and reducing the amount of power contracted.
• Comparison of energy consumption between centres: to control those that deviated from the average ratios.
• Monitoring and controlling electrical energy billing parameters: to simulate electrical energy billing and draw up cash flow forecasts.
• Finding out the actual consumption during different time periods to contract the best company and energy tariff.
• Improving energy efficiency and reducing inefficient energy consumption (reactive energy).
• Improving customer satisfaction through better control of the energy factors of the installations, ensuring correct air conditioning and lighting quality levels.

Solution

CVM-MINI energy measurement and control units were installed in the stores, one for each line: general consumption, air conditioning, fridges, ovens and the rest of the store.

An OPTIM capacitor bank was also connected to the header of each installation, to compensate inefficient energy (reactive energy). These banks resulted in a 15% saving on the electricity bill.

All the data relating to the CVM-MINIs were included in the EDS energy manager which includes an integrated web server. This unit supplies the data locally to a computer installed in the SCADA PowerStudio energy management software. The same EDS energy manager sent the data to the central computer via the normal Internet installation. Alternatively, the EDS 3G version was installed if there was no telephone line in the area, so that the data could be sent wirelessly.

Information per store and a summary of all the data:

• Quantification in kWh per hour of consumption with the store open and closed.
• Knowledge of actual consumption in relation to the objectives set in each area enabled more accurate correction and better final energy adjustment.
• If the instantaneous power in hours for "Stored Closed" exceeded 20% of the contracted power, an alarm was activated.

By monitoring the actual power consumed, it was possible to reduce the amount of power contracted in some centres, achieving a reduction of €12,000 a year on the electricity bill.

With the integration of the energy consumptions of all the centres into the central computer, the best ratios between the centres in equivalent areas could be compared, and improvements in consumption could be implemented, by improving units and their control, and implementing more rational electric energy management schedules.

Objectives

The main objective was to achieve maximum charging of the fleet of electric vehicles using renewable sources.
This objective was subdivided as follows:

• ––Charging electric vehicles without increasing contracted power.
• ––Use, supervision and electric energy management of the installation: to optimise photovoltaic energy generation.
• ––To make use of surplus maximum radiation and days of maximum insolation using a system of batteries and inverters to store the energy.
• ––To simulate electricity billing and to draw up cash-flow forecasts through monitoring and control of electrical energy generation and billing parameters.
• ––To know about actual consumption in different time periods, to check that generation and vehicle charging is performed at the right times and to optimise the installation and its management.

Solution

The fleet of vehicles was composed of electric cars with a 2.5 kW to 6 kW power, depending on the model, making an estimated annual consumption of 24,360 kWh. For this reason fifty-four photovoltaic panels, each with a peak of 240 watts, were installed, with a total power of 12 kW. This set of photovoltaic cells produced 24,600 kWh a year, as they were located in the province of Barcelona, which has an average six hours of insolation a day.

In this way, a balance was achieved between the energy produced by photovoltaic generation and the daily energy needed by the vehicle fleet. Storage batteries were also installed to store the energy produced so it could be used when needed for charging and during periods of less insolation.

All the power required for charging the vehicles was supplied by the photovoltaic solar installation with instantaneous self-consumption, together with the storage batteries, backed by the electrical network. This meant vehicle charging was guaranteed at all times.

Energy measurement and control units (CIRCUTOR EDS, EDS 3G and CVM analyzers) were used to control photovoltaic generation and energy use. Once the measurements had been taken, the data was analysed and supervised using the PowerStudio SCADA energy management software.

One of the uses that most interested the managers was that the whole system was controlled via the web using the PowerStudio SCADA software, both for managing the parameters and displaying alarms. The system could be controlled from a central point and monitored from any other point with an Internet connection. In this case, the whole CIRCUTOR system communicated with the e.on management software in the cloud.

Objectives

The main objective was to optimise the centre's energy consumption to reduce costs. The energy consumption of a WWTP represents approximately 20-25% of the total operation and maintenance costs, which is why it is so important to reduce this cost.
This objective was subdivided as follows:

• ––Improve energy management and its efficiency.
• ––Achieve economic savings as a result of a correct electric energy management approach.
• ––Reduce service outages in installations.
• ––Obtain an electric supply quality diagnosis.
• ––Make available preventive maintenance procedures in lines and electrical installations.
• ––Allocate electricity costs to production processes.
• ––Optimise the modification of contracted tariffs, shifting consumption loads to cheaper periods, etc.

Solution

The solution consisted of the installation of a series of CVMK2 power analyzers at strategic points to collect the installation's necessary electric data values. CBS4 multipoint earth leakage systems, a computer with SCADA management software and a fibre optic communications network were also installed to collect data and coordinate all the operations.

The main units and their implementation are detailed below:

• ––CIRCUTOR CVMK2 power analyzers for the different areas of the plant, logging values for voltage, current, power and other electrical parameters.
• ––CBS-4 multipoint earth leakage systems each with 4 channels, loggging the current and leakage values to anticipate possible service stoppages in:
  • pre-treatment (dirty water pumps)
  • activated sludge process (primary decanting, aeration, agitation, internal and external recirculation and secondary decanting)
  • each of the aeration blowers for the biological reactors
  • dehydration units (centrifuges and sludge transportation),
  • capacitor bank
  • leakage current of the four aeration blowers.
• ––Roll-out of a fibre optic communications network with four devices to reliably collect all field data and control the units remotely.
• ––Implementation of CIRCUTOR SCADA Powerstudio energy management sof tware to improve the electric energy management, efficiency and control of the installation.

The data can be integrated thanks to the installation of these units and telemanagement, improving the electric energy management and thus achieving the project objectives.

Objetives

The main objectives of installing the intelligent street lighting management system were:

• Improved energy efficiency of the street lighting.
• Improved maintenance and related cost savings.

Other additional objectives were achieving global lighting management, and more efficient incident resolution.

Solution

A suitable reduction in consumption was obtained, together with improved service with two types of actions:

1. First, the old mercury vapour lights were replaced with more energy efficient lights, specifically LED lights, without lowering performance;
2. Second, more efficient management of the points of light was obtained with the help of the CIRCUTOR CirLAMP intelligent street lighting system.

The CirLAMP system comprises CirLAMP NODES modules (Bi-level or 1...10V) installed at the points of light, and CirLAMP MANAGER for managing the network of units, which is installed in the main electric panel.

The CirLamp NODES can make an installation more flexible and adaptable to each need, because it can be installed:

• in the base of the light, thereby saving on installation costs, or
• on the lamp post to increase the security of the installed unit.

These modules communicate with the CirLAMP MANAGER via PLC, taking advantage of the electrical network. This is an advantage because there is no need to install extra communication cables or open conduits underground, thereby saving time and costs.

After the nodes are connected, the CirLAMP MANAGER gathers all the information and is able to manage each light point-to-point. The system enables controlling up to 4 time slots with different brightness levels according to the time of night and road conditions, which results in substantial energy consumption savings. Programming is controlled by an internal astronomical clock that automatically opens and closes the circuit according to the local sunrise and sunset (with the addition of the CirLamp 8i8o input and output module).

Together with the efficiency of the brightness control, the CirLAMP MANAGER can send information by email to the head of maintenance according to the different event types, so that quick and effective action can be taken if a system anomaly occurs, thereby saving on maintenance costs.

Objectives

The main objective was to optimise the building's energy consumption to reduce costs. However, the Department of Business and Employment went even further in their commitment to:

• ––Improve the use of electrical energy.
• ––Reduce, control and structure internal consumption. 
• ––Supervise and control electricity billing parameters to simulate electricity billing and draw up cash-flow forecasts.
• ––Finding out the actual consumption during different time periods to contract the best company and energy tariff.
• To do this it used data and studies reported by the units and the CIRCUTOR SCADA PowerStudio energy management software.

Solution

For the project, electric power analyzers with CIRCUTOR CVM communications were installed at different points of the installation in order to know the balance of the building's internal consumption and be able to observe the evolution, morphology and time periods of consumption.

Three steps were taken for such purposes:

1. Measurement with CVM type power analyzers: CVMk2 on the general supply service line connection and MINI MC CVMs on each floor, as well as the General Services, Ground and Basement floors and the Building's General Air Conditioning, computing UPS and computing Air Conditioning. Each one had current transformers, and RS485 serial communications to find out the energy consumed.
2. Development of a personalised energy management application for the Department using the SCADA PowerStudio application, calculating, viewing and preparing the corresponding reports.
3. Improvements in three areas in accordance with the data collected: improvements in managing lighting, the machines that remain on and the air conditioning.

„„As a result, thanks to the energy measurement system, it was observed that the weekend energy consumption measurement was unjustifiably high. As a result, the following measurements were taken:

• The air conditioning was stopped.
• Control of machines that were unproductive during the weekend.
• Control of unnecessary lights.

„„The lack of correspondence between the consumption curve and the building occupation schedule was corrected. This was resolved by:

• Reducing the number of lights switched on during security rounds and programming staged switch offs at 20.00, 22.00 and 24.00 to prevent lights being left on all night.
• By reviewing and disconnecting machines that remain on.
• By redistributing and modifying the operating hours for the air conditioning machines.

Objectives

The main objective was to optimise the energy consumption of the centre to reduce costs.

This objective was subdivided as follows:

• Finding out the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of the centre.
• ––Comparing this PUE with that of similar centres to control whether the centre deviates from the average ratios or not.
• –Monitoring and controlling the electrical energy billing parameters: to simulate the electricity bill and draw up the cash flow forecasts.
• Finding out the real consumption during different time periods, to contract the most appropriate company and tariff.

Solution

Of the total energy consumed in the DPC, 60% corresponds to the electrical consumption of the infrastructure and the remaining 40% to refrigeration. Therefore, one of the keys to the success of the energy improvement project was measuring the consumption of each unit type in order to be able to recognise the most affordable areas of improvement. Three steps were taken for this:

• Measurement with CVM power analyzers, with their current transformers and RS485 serial communications to measure circulating energies.
• Analysis with the PowerStudio SCADA application, calculating the PUE and displaying and preparing the corresponding reports.
• Improvement in three areas, in accordance with the data gathered: reduction of contracted power, as it was found that the actual maximum power never exceeded the contracted power. Changes to room management by correctly controlling and adjusting room temperature. Lighting optimisation.