An energy management system is a set of computer-based tools used to optimise the production and consumption of power.
Generally speaking, EMS applications are found in the power-generation sector, in utilities, but they are becoming increasingly important in industrial operations large and small.
Additionally, they are being installed for the home, along with smart meters connected to smart grids. This market will become increasingly important as consumers use a greater number of electrical devices and appliances, including power-hungry ones like electric cars.
The different types of EMS software includes:
- Utility
- Industrial
- Enterprise
- Residential
There are other types, but it’s likely that the majority of vendors provide customised solutions anyway. The list above is more of an indication of how EMS can be applied rather than a complete list of all that is available.
Efficient energy usage is critical to the profitability of an industrial company at a time when margins are being squeezed by competition from around the world.
And while everyone would like to use as little energy as possible, the fact is that both household and industrial energy consumption has been increasing around the world for decades and there’s little or no chance of it going on a downward journey any time in the future.
A number of well-known companies offer energy management systems, including:
- ABB
- Bosch
- C3 Energy
- Daikin Industries
- Daintree Networks
- Eaton
- Elster
- Emerson
- EMS3
- General Electric
- GridPoint
- Hitachi
- Honeywell
- Ideal Power
- IBM
- Ingeteam
- Invensys
- Johnson Controls
- Jones Lang LaSalle
- Parker
- Rockwell Automation
- Schneider Electric
- Siemens
This list is presented in alphabetical order and does not indicate any market share or any other evaluation criteria. Neither is it exhaustive – there may be many other providers of EMS on the market. But most of theone on this list specialise in supplying the industrial sector. Links are given where clearly presented information about EMS has been quickly found online.
A far longer list of EMS software products is listed by Capterra, and that includes applications for smaller businesses, which can also be applied to the home and other environments, mostly for building management.
Also, it might be worthwhile to monitor the ongoing research and development of the Areus project, under which Daimler engineers say they have developed ways to make industrial robots more energy-efficient, but add that they are looking at the entire production chain to find other ways to save power.
According to a report produced last year by Strategyr, The Global Industrial Energy Management System Market, Europe is the leading region for these systems.
The market analyst forecasts the industrial EMS market will be worth more than $18 billion by 2020.
Energy management systems are regulated by the International Standards Organisation. The ISO 50001 energy management standard a framework of requirements for organisations to develop appropriate policies, use data effectively, measure results, and improve energy management.
