An
energy management system uses an expert engine and a numerical
solver to determine an optimal manner of using and controlling the various
energy consumption, producing and storage equipment in a
plant / communities in order to for example reduce energy costs within the
plant, and is especially applicable to plants that require or that are capable of using and / or producing different types of energy at different times. The
energy management system operates the various energy manufacturing and energy usage components of the
plant to minimize the cost of energy over time, or at various different times, while still meeting certain constraints or requirements within the
operational system, such as producing a certain amount of heat or cooling, a certain
power level, a certain level of production, etc. In some cases, the
energy management system may cause the operational equipment of the plant to produce unneeded energy that can be stored until a later time and then used, or that can be sold back to a public utility, for example, so as to reduce the overall cost of energy within the plant.