Sener – EMS, Energy Management System, Energy Infrastructure Network Operation Optimisation
Sener
Sector: Energy
Business Case
EMS is an autopilot that makes it possible to optimally operate infrastructure networks that consume and/or produce and/or store energy. It can manage networks of any type, and with different energy carriers (electricity, gas, H2, steam, etc.). In addition to use in operation, the EMS is key to optimally sizing assets during the design phase (for example, what storage size is most profitable).
Objectives
EMS should really optimise costs (many EMS-type products only monitor status, not operate/decide what to do). The EMS must be able to operate in any type of network and any energy flow; it is not feasible to develop a customised product for each case/customer. The EMS must be deployable as services, on any infrastructure, local and/or cloud.
Use case
EMS is a modular system. The following services are in operation: The SCT planner oversees the entire network, providing operating instructions within a time horizon of 24-72 hours. Additionally, the PMS operates on each asset and infrastructure, processing commands from the SCT. It can also manage emergencies and deviations in real-time, forecasting services based on data acquisition from various components such as prices, demands, and weather. Finally, the DAE component is an SCT for sizing assets in the design phase, for use in the technical office.
Infrastructure
Cloud On Premise
Technology
Machine learning and deep learning
Data
Projects and offers developed by SENER, based on real use cases, with real customers and real needs.
Resources
Profiles in the energy field to provide advice on the technical aspects of the different technologies used, to define user needs and features that the tool should offer, to act as a tester of the different versions that are issued, etc. Profiles for algorithm development and software implementation.
Difficulties and learning
One of the challenges faced was effective communication and understanding between technical experts specialising in microgrids and those from different backgrounds, such as data scientists with a focus on optimisation and algorithms, as well as software developers, etc. It is key to size the modelling well: how much detail of reality is worth incorporating in the model. This marks one of the initial decision points, significantly influencing both technical and economic aspects of development. It is advisable to initially include less details than might seem necessary, and to avoid adding unnecessary complexity unless the situation or a specific client’s requirements necessitate it.
KPIs (business impact and metrics of the model)
En Operación la métrica clave es el coste OPEX de operación del sistema en su conjunto. En Dimensionamiento las métricas pueden cambiar dependiendo la necesidad/proyecto, pero suelen ser: LCOE (cote normalizado por unidad de energía generada) o Periodo de Retorno de la inversión.
Funding
Own resources: SENER Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A.
Collaborators, Partners
Buildings or infrastructures that allowed for the system to be implemented in their facilities: for example, Sener’s own offices in Madrid.
