The City of Nottingham, England is developing an intelligent energy management system (iEMS) for its Clean Mobil Energy project. The new data management platform will control the distribution of power between all system components – a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs), battery storage, and solar power. This will enable the city’s energy managers to maximize the use of locally produced renewable energy and cut carbon emissions and costs associated with charging EVs.
The city’s pilot site will combine three main elements – solar panels to generate electricity, a large lithium-Ion battery for energy storage, and a fleet of 40 EVs. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology will be used to charge and discharge the EVs as well as provide additional short-term energy storage and grid balancing. The iEMS can establish optimum charging schedules for the EVs allowing them to be charged at times of surplus green electricity or low electricity tariffs.
Nottingham is using OpenRemote’s open source Internet of Things (IoT) platform which provides central access to all data, sensors, and controls. The system also contains an energy dashboard to monitor key performance indicators and a mobile app.
“Nottingham has set the UK’s most ambitious carbon neutral target and we are leading the way when it comes to green transport,” said Laura Chippendale, energy projects manager for Nottingham City Council. “Our aim is to maximise the use of locally generated renewable energy and cut carbon emissions. Thanks to OpenRemote’s advanced IoT solution, the city’s fleet of electric vehicles can be charged with 100 per cent renewable energy offered at an optimum price. The iEMS will increase the economic value of renewable energy and significantly reduce CO2 emissions.”