Commercialisation of a decision support tool for improving large facility energy management

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Energy bills are soaring worldwide with public, commercial, and industrial organisations facing severe financial pressures. There is an increasing need for energy efficiency and operational improvements to control costs. At the same time many countries have made net-zero commitments that require these organisations to act urgently to reduce carbon emissions.Large organisations such as hospitals and universities often own and operate multiple energy assets. The drive towards reducing carbon emissions and energy costs has led to the installation of combined heat and power (CHP) generation, renewable energy technologies (wind turbines and solar PV), and energy storage. The operation and control strategies of on-site energy management systems are presently rather simple. They do not respond to dynamic changes in energy prices and opportunities for grid services. Finding the optimal combination and sizing of technologies to reduce cost and carbon emissions is complex and brings economic and technical uncertainties. Site energy managers require support to coordinate existing energy assets, evaluate the technical, economic and emissions impact of new energy assets and integrate them effectively.We have developed software algorithms that combines a physics-based model of the energy flows within the site with metering data to identify the optimum operation and development path through the coordination of multiple energy assets. Our software will sit above the existing energy data management systems of a facility to address how energy bills and/or carbon can be reduced by1. better control of existing energy assets2. the addition of new on-site renewables and energy storage3. responding effectively to dynamic energy prices including for grid services.Our approach provides a rapid and cost-effective assessment of operational improvements and new asset integration. An independent market study identified a good product-market fit and we have received enthusiastic support from potential customers and partners.This project will allow us to move the concept from the research domain into a commercial product and establish our market position. It will allow us to build a commercialisation team to develop our product with end-user/customer feedback and demonstrate it in a real commercial setting. The project outputs will allow us to approach new customers and partners with evidence of the benefits of our product and services, and the commercial positioning to enter sale and partner agreements. The project will enable our entry into the UK market.