Utilizing synergies in the energy infrastructure through holistic energy management
Rising energy costs, fluctuating availability of renewable energies and ambitious climate targets are increasing the pressure on energy consumers to operate their energy systems economically, sustainably and resiliently. At the same time, industrial and building-related energy systems are becoming increasingly complex: sectors such as electricity, heating, cooling and mobility as well as grids, generation plants and storage systems are closely interlinked. Changes to individual components often have an impact on the overall system. Optimizations at one point can even worsen the overall efficiency. Reliable decisions therefore require tools with which operating modes, expansion options and optimization strategies can be thoroughly investigated without interfering with the sensitive energy supply.
intEMT®, the intelligent Energy Management Toolbox, offers a modular and flexible solution for industrial companies, research institutions, grid operators, municipal utilities, energy management officers and anyone who plans and operates energy systems. The software toolbox enables the modelling, simulation and optimization of complex energy systems, i.e. all systems for energy supply, energy conversion and energy storage. The library bundles know-how from over ten years of experience in the field of intelligent energy management and is used to digitally map and systematically develop both individual components and complete energy systems. The special feature of intEMT® lies in the combination of abstract, versatile component models, extended operating strategies, optimized dimensioning algorithms and higher-level energy management methods in a common software environment.
Modular architecture for versatile individual application scenarios
The software toolbox consists of five Python-based core libraries that can be used individually or together – depending on requirements. Accordingly, the range of applications extends from component-based modelling and the mapping of local operating strategies to simulation-based design and predictive energy flow optimization of entire systems.
Thanks to this flexible modeling approach, intEMT® can be used in very different fields of application by companies and research partners, such as
- Peak load reduction with electrical and thermal components
- Increasing self-sufficiency through renewable energy sources and storage
- Day-ahead optimizations of storage and energy systems
- Management of charging infrastructures
- Operation of microgrids and island grids
The combination of several objectives in multi-objective use cases is also possible. New technologies and use cases can be integrated with little effort
What intEMT® can do – discover the features
With intEMT®, digital twins of real energy systems can be created to precisely simulate components and operating modes based on existing data. Scenario-based studies also make it possible to compare different supply strategies, system constellations and demand situations. In addition, the toolbox supports the testing and validation of different operating strategies as well as the optimal design of storage systems, generation plants and grid connections. Intelligent energy management methods help to control energy flows in a cost- and emission-optimized manner and to make the best possible use of locally available renewable energies. At the same time, intEMT® serves as a technological basis for application-specific software tools, which are provided individually by Fraunhofer IISB.
IntEMT® is also broadly positioned at the methodological level. The toolbox combines simulation and optimization functionality in a common framework. This allows the temporal energy distribution of a given system to be mathematically optimized, for example in order to use storage systems particularly economically with regard to load profiles, renewable energy sources or electricity exchange prices. Both simple and robust basic strategies and advanced approaches are available for energy management, such as prediction-based real-time strategies and load distribution strategies for several similar systems. Higher-level predictive procedures complement this range of methods.
intEMT® in practical use: project successes from hybrid power plants and district solutions to mobile systems
intEMT® has been and continues to be used and further developed in numerous ongoing and completed research and industrial projects for design and optimization, including REMBup, Flexship, IRES4Ukraine, GreenICT, ProEnergie and Wärmenetze 4.0. The toolbox thus covers applications ranging from building-related and industrial energy systems to district solutions and mobile systems. The experience gained from these projects is continuously incorporated into the toolbox.
In the BMWE-funded real-world laboratory project REMBup, intEMT® is being used to develop a customized energy management system for NürnbergMesse. The overarching goal of the project is to plan and implement a hybrid power plant for a CO2-neutral energy supply for the exhibition center, for which holistic energy management is a key element. Based on load forecasts, weather forecasts and a digital twin, the optimum operating points are determined for each point in time. In contrast, IRES4Ukraine focuses on the reliable and sustainable supply of facilities in Ukraine.
intEMT® has also proven itself in mobile applications: In Flexship, for example, an energy management system was developed that optimizes the efficiency of hybrid-electric ships by minimizing fuel consumption.
The five intEMT® software modules at a glance
The Component Library forms the foundation of intEMT®. It provides abstracted models for different component types, including grid connections, energy converters, data-based components, energy sources and storage. Thanks to the generalized modelling approach, numerous real technologies can be mapped with a common structure.
The Operational Strategies Library contains local operating strategies for systems and storage. Among other things, it takes into account operating limits, minimum running times, availability times and charging states. In addition to universal basic strategies, specialized methods such as prediction-based strategies or strategies for power sharing between several similar systems are also available.
The Systems Library enables the creation of complete energy systems from components, grids and operating strategies. It supports simulation, optimization and evaluation of complex system networks and thus provides the basis for holistic considerations at system level.
With the Dimensioning Library, storage and systems can be designed technically and economically for various applications, for example for peak load reduction, self-consumption optimization or combined use cases. This allows investment decisions to be prepared in a targeted manner.
The Energy Management Library integrates the modules and provides higher-level methods for intelligent energy management. A central approach is Economic Model Predictive Control (eMPC), which can provide optimized target values for the energy system based on current forecasts.
These core modules are supplemented by interfaces to weather and PV databases as well as utility functions for data processing and evaluation.
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Further links
👉 www.iisb.fraunhofer.de
Photo: Daniel Karmann / Fraunhofer IISB
