AI and energy: how artificial intelligence makes energy consumption smarter
Storing energy is one thing. Deciding when to store, use or sell that energy is another story. This is where an energy management system (EMS) comes in. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), energy management is becoming increasingly smart, enabling homeowners and businesses to use their battery and other energy assets more efficiently.
By combining real-time data, automation and artificial intelligence (AI), a smart EMS can make energy consumption more efficient and help homeowners and businesses extract more value from their battery, solar panels and other energy assets. The software that controls the battery can have a major impact on the technical and financial value of the entire energy system.
In this blog, we show how AI and a smart energy management system work together and what to look for when purchasing a battery energy storage system.
What is an energy management system?
An energy management system (EMS) is the intelligent software layer that ensures different components of an energy system work together.
Think for example of:
- solar panels;
- a battery or battery energy storage system (BESS);
- the electricity grid;
- charging points and electric vehicles;
- industrial equipment;
- heat pumps and other electrical installations;
- dynamic energy contracts;
- energy markets.
- other electrical assets.
The EMS continuously collects data on energy generation, consumption, battery status and energy prices. Based on this information, the system determines when energy should be stored, used or fed back to the grid.
A battery without smart control therefore delivers significantly less value than a battery that is part of a well-integrated EMS.
AI can predict energy consumption and generation
By analysing historical and real-time data, a smart EMS can recognise patterns and make predictions.
An AI-based EMS can for example predict the following:
Energy consumption
At home, electricity demand can vary depending on when people work, cook, charge an electric car or heat the house.
For businesses, energy consumption can depend on production schedules, opening hours, machinery and seasonal demand. By analysing historical data, the system can recognise patterns in a company’s electricity consumption.
When is demand usually highest?
Which days are typically quieter?
Which processes cause peaks?
How does consumption change at weekends or during holidays?
The more accurately energy consumption can be predicted, the smarter the battery can be deployed.
Solar generation
Solar generation constantly changes depending on weather conditions, while electricity prices can fluctuate significantly throughout the day. Weather forecasts, historical generation data and real-time measurements can be combined to estimate expected solar output.
The EMS can then anticipate moments when surplus solar power is expected to be generated, and ensure sufficient battery capacity is available to store that surplus energy.
Electricity prices
With a dynamic energy contract, electricity prices can vary throughout the day.
A smart EMS can incorporate this price information into its charging and discharging strategy.
That provides an important principle:
It is not just about storing energy. It is about storing energy at the right moment.
If electricity prices are expected to be low at another time of day, it may be smart to charge the battery then. If prices subsequently rise, the system can decide to use the stored energy from the battery instead.
Peakshaving: managing demand peaks more intelligently
For many businesses, peakshaving is an important reason to consider energy storage and management.
When electricity demand temporarily increases sharply, the battery can supply part of that additional demand. This means the business needs to draw less power from the grid at that moment.
A smart EMS can predict when a peak is likely to occur and prepare the battery accordingly.
This is important because a battery should not only respond once a peak is already occurring. The required capacity must also be available at exactly that moment.
AI can therefore help businesses reserve battery capacity more strategically. The energy transition is changing the way businesses look at electricity. Where a battery was once mainly seen as a way to store energy, it is increasingly becoming part of an intelligent energy system. By combining real-time data, predictions and automated control, a battery can be deployed much more dynamically. Not simply to store energy, but to continuously determine where, when and how that energy delivers the most value.
Novectra: making energy work smarter
A future-proof battery solution is about more than hardware. Real value is created when battery storage, energy generation, consumption and smart software work together as one integrated energy management system.
Novectra helps homeowners and businesses make smart use of energy storage and energy management, with attention to both the technical and economic aspects of the energy system. Whether your goal is to reduce peak load, extract more value from sustainable energy, lower energy costs or get more from your battery: an intelligent energy management system can make the difference.
Curious about the role a battery and energy management system can play in your energy system?
Contact us at Novectra and discover how you can manage your energy consumption more intelligently, extract more from sustainable energy and get more value from energy storage.
Let’s make your energy work smarter.
