User:Dcgreen312/Energy Information System

Energy management, energy efficiency, and energy cost control are all "hot" topics these days. The driving forces behind these concepts are new equipment, new processes, and new technology. The most powerful technology to come into use in the past several years has been Information Technology (IT). The combination of cheap, high-performance microcomputers and emerging high-capacity communication lines, networks, and the Internet has produced explosive growth in IT and its application throughout our economy. One such application is the Energy Information System (EIS).

ENERGY INFORMATION SYSTEM

Continuous feedback on utility consumption is the backbone of an Energy Information System (EIS). A basic definition of an EIS is equipment and computer programs that allow users to measure, monitor, and quantify the energy usage of their facilities and to help identify energy conservation opportunities. Using a Web browser and the Internet, one can access data around the world with a click of a mouse. An EIS takes full advantage of these new tools.

EIS PROCESS

There are two main parts to an EIS: (1) data collection and (2) Web publishing.

Data Collection

Establishing an EIS starts with determining the sources of the energy data. Utility meters monitored by an energy management system or other dedicated utility monitoring systems are a good source. Metering equipment collects the raw consumption data for electric, water, natural gas, and other services. Utility meters or data loggers communicate this data to local data storage devices using network-based protocols.

Data gathered from all the local data storage devices at a predefined interval (usually on a daily basis) is stored on a server in a relational database. Examples of relational databases are FoxPro, SQL, and Oracle. A variety of methods are used to retrieve this data:

Modem connection: A modem connection downloads the data from the local data storage device to the energy data server. Typically, the download takes place on a daily basis, but it may occur more frequently. LAN or WAN network connection: A local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) connection established between computers transfers energy data files to the energy data server.

FTP network connection: File transfer protocol (FTP) is an Internet protocol used for transferring files from one computer to another. It moves the energy data files from the local data storage devices to the energy data server. When the energy data has been transferred to the energy data server, an update program reads all the various data files and reformats them in a format that is used by the Web publishing program.

Web Publishing

Web programs publish the energy data on an Intranet or on the Internet. The energy data is stored on a central computer. When a user makes a request for information using a Web browser. A Web publishing program retrieves the information from a relational database and sends it to the Web server, which then sends it to the client Web browser that requested the information. Many software choices are available for the Web publishing process. One choice uses a server-side Common Gateway Interface (CGI) program to coordinate the activity between the Web server and the Web publishing program. CGI is a method used to run conventional programs through a Web browser. The Web publishing process for an EIS uses the steps below:

1. A user requests energy information by using a Web browser (client) to send an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request to the Web server. 2. The Web server activates the CGI interface program, which then starts the Web publishing program. 3. The Web publishing program retrieves the information from the relational database, formats the data in hypertext markup language (HTML), and returns it to the CGI interface program. 4. The CGI interface program sends the data as HTML browser content to the Web server, which sends the content to the Web browser that requested the information.

CONCLUSION

Web-based EISs provide users feedback on how and where energy is consumed. Building automation systems control the devices that use energy. Together, these two systems provide the energy manager the tools needed for a successful energy management program.

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