EN 
DE Energy giant sells know-how instead of electricity
Author: Christine Mitterbauer, MicroDoc GmbH
Contribution – Embedded Software Engineering Congress 2015
As part of the energy transition, traditional models of centralized energy generation are being revolutionized. While energy suppliers were previously responsible for the production and distribution of electricity, new concepts such as solar and wind power offer the possibility of decentralized energy generation and grid feed-in. Modern battery technologies enable private households to store electrical energy, use it intelligently themselves, or feed it into the grid and sell it. EnBW [1], one of Europe's largest energy suppliers, offers EnergyBASE, an intelligent IoT energy management system. This self-learning system optimizes energy consumption and production in households with local energy generation. With this, EnBW is expanding its portfolio in a forward-looking manner, offering interested customers not only electricity but also energy management expertise.
The EnergyBASE ecosystem [2] provides a central platform for energy-related services. The system manages energy producers and consumers within a household – from the rooftop photovoltaic system and the electric vehicle charging station to the stationary storage unit in the basement. The small device, installed in the meter cabinet, knows when self-generated electricity can be profitably fed into the distribution grid, when it is better used for self-consumption, or when it should be stored for later use. To achieve this, it uses forecasts for the next day to create an individual plan for the optimal use of the generated electricity. The goal is to maximize the proportion of self-consumed solar power. The forecasting algorithms were developed by EnBW specialists who have been working on predicting energy production and electricity consumption for years (see Figure 1, PDF)
The EnergyBASE
The EnergyBASE device consists of a 450MHz Arm/Linux computer with 128 MB RAM and 4GB Flash (2GB for data storage). It supports various interfaces such as Ethernet, RS485, USB, Powerline, etc. A three-phase meter is also included (see Fig. 2)., PDF).
The EnergyBASE software stack includes an Oracle Java SE Embedded 8 VM ported from MicroDoc [3] and the Prosyst mBSSH OSGi Framework [4] (see Fig. 3, PDF).
OSGi [5] provides a software component model for Java applications in which software components are subject to a defined lifecycle and can be added to or removed from the system at runtime. The OSGi Service Registry allows running modules to register their own services and to locate existing services in the system. Using these techniques, EnergyBASE was built as a self-adapting system to which software modules can be added or removed depending on the hardware configuration and the contract. In addition, OSGi defines a significant number of standardized services that can be easily installed and used in the system. Furthermore, the OSGi framework from Prosyst offers a number of predefined functions, such as home device management.
The backend system
The software stack in the backend system also consists of Java and OSGi (Prosyst mPRM) – just like on the EnergyBASE device itself. In addition to numerous functions for managing the end devices, their software (including remote software updates), and their configuration, further services are provided, implemented as Java/OSGi modules – i.e., bundles – on the server side, such as...
- Hourly weather forecasts from the German Weather Service
- Sending emails and push notifications
- Functions for activating/registering the EnergyBASE
- Secure remote access to the EnergyBASE via the internet
- Support/Hotline functions (see Fig. 4, PDF)
Due to the use of the same software stack (Java and OSGi) in both the embedded device and the backend server, distributed services can be implemented very easily – for example, processing the weather data on the server, which is then retrieved by the respective end device for the local PV forecast.
The Java/OSGi software modules can also be moved very easily between the embedded and server worlds – one scenario could be to move computationally intensive forecasting algorithms from the end device to the server (see Fig. 5, PDF).
A look behind the scenes – details from the development
The EnergyBASE system is being developed in parallel by several teams – including backend, web, and mobile apps. To manage the complexity of the IoT system combined with distributed development, while simultaneously ensuring high quality, the following measures, among others, were implemented:
- JIRA/Confluence as a shared task tracking and documentation tool
- Test-Driven Development with different testing layers:
- JUnit for testing in isolation
- FitNesse Smartrics for module testing [7]
- Xebium for Web UI Testing [8]
- Executable "live" documentation of the EnergyBASE REST API
- Instrumentable simulations for all supported device adapters
- Development of a comprehensive Continuous Integration System with automated tests in simulation and on real end devices
Conclusion
The EnergyBASE is not just a "small" DIN rail control unit for the home. It is part of a sophisticated IoT system that offers the opportunity to participate in the energy transition in a pioneering way. The choice of Java and OSGi as a common stack on both the edge device and the backend has proven successful and promises many more interesting options for innovative services in the field of individual energy management in the future.
References:
[1] EnBW Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
[2] EnergyBASE
[3] Oracle Java SE 8 Embedded
[4] Prosyst mBS Smart Home
[5] OSGi
[6] Fitness
[7] FitNesse Smartrics
[8] Xebium
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