Design and Implementation of Efficient Energy Management System for Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri

摘要

Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri (FPNO) being one of the foremost Polytechnic and currently rated as the best and most sort after Polytechnic in the country requires an efficient and reliable power supply for its numerous activities. The polytechnic runs on two major sources of supply namely utility supply and local power generators but has in recent times depended solely on her local power sources due to the erratic nature of the utility supply. In other to conserve energy, optimize the use of these generators and to prevent frequent power wastage, as well as reducing cost on fuel, a microcontroller-based facility energy management system is developed. In Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri, Imo state, there are critical and non-critical loads depending on functionalities required. Critical loads should never be turned off or lose supply while non-critical loads may be turned on or off depending on the power consumption and supply pattern. In practice, various combinations of load management and conservation measures are targeted at energy efficiency and rescheduling. The functionalities implemented for electrical load management which include timing of loads and smart switching off street lights are discussed. Besides, there is an algorithm for the determination of power restoration from the national grid to avoid wasting energy, particularly when there is an alternative source. A zoning arrangement is finally recommended which will reduce the number of active generators running simultaneously on the campus.