Development of Smart Energy Management Algorithms for Commercial Building Retrofit

The Unity Integration Smart Energy Management System (SEMS), of which the internship applicant Michael Fischer will participate in the technical development, will be a technology that fills a critical niche in realizing the Smart Grid of the future. Green building codes will drive energy efficient design and operation of new buildings, but many owners and operators of the vast stock of existing buildings – responsible for 30% of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – will not benefit from this, and overall GHG reduction potential will be limited. Clearly there is a need for an integrated and low-cost solution to building retrofit, initially in the commercial sector where the current economics to do so are most attractive. Michael will develop advanced predictive control algorithms building upon existing academic research that will make use of current advanced lighting and thermal modeling technologies and be realised in buildings via new low-cost and low-power wireless networking technologies. The successful development will be targeted at providing an integrated energy saving solution for retrofit of small/medium commercial and light industrial buildings and will create the capability to make these buildings active participants on the Smart Grid, thus opening up further opportunities for customer energy and cost savings, and integration of much-needed renewable energies onto the grid at a larger scale.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Kui Wu and Dr. Pan Agathoklis

Student:

Michael Fischer

Partner:

Unity Integration Corporation

Discipline:

Engineering - computer / electrical

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Victoria