Tim Benson, Chair of Powerful Thinking gives an overview of developments in power and energy monitoring and discusses how more accurate reporting supports suppliers in producing energy efficient solutions. Tim highlights the benefits of bespoke telemetry suites, which provide in depth detail on fuel consumption, current, voltage, frequency and power quality (harmonics). Accurate, real-time information allows power contractors to match generation to actual consumption and adapt where needed – and supports supply chain to improve product efficiencies. Read the blog:
Power and energy monitoring has come a long way in the past 10 years and is now commonly integrated across event sites. This is due, primarily, to a greater demand from event organisers, who now better understand (a) that there are viable alternatives to conventional diesel generators, for example; mains supplies and/or battery energy storage systems (BESS), and (b) that where generators have to be deployed, correctly sizing them is crucial.
In both these examples, basic monitoring to provide metrics on load (kW), energy consumption (kWh) and power factor (Pf) are essential. At a basic level, all of these metrics can be gleaned from both most generator control panels and via off the shelf onboard generator telemetry systems, for example DSE Gateway or JCB Livelink. However, in a world where the devil is in the detail, such systems will only get you so far on your energy efficiency improvement journey, as they only give you an overview of how much power and energy is being generated.
Recognising this, and in a bid to maintain a competitive edge, a number of power contractors have developed their own bespoke telemetry suites, which in addition to recording this basic data, also provide detail on fuel consumption, current, voltage, frequency and power quality (harmonics). Such systems generally connect directly to the outgoing supplies from a power node, bypassing the generator’s internal control systems. Their sample rates, that is how frequently they measure a particular power metric, typically range from one to three second intervals, making the data that they supply more accurate and, therefore, more useful to power specialists when planning for greater efficiencies. These systems allow for a deeper dive into how, where and when energy is consumed, which is essential to matching generation to actual consumption. Furthermore, they can usually be accessed remotely and in real time, which has the benefit of allowing power contractors to adapt and make immediate onsite interventions where anomalies are identified.
The majority of these telemetry systems focus on the monitoring of three phase circuits, meaning that assumptions have to be made on the energy and power consumption behaviours of actual end of line consumers. Whilst some organisers and power contractors alike might consider this level of detail unwholly necessary, event fixture manufacturers are increasingly interested in this from a product development perspective; they see the value of actually reducing the power requirements and energy consumption of their products and using this as marketing strategy to win new business. Recently we have been asked by d&b audiotechnik, Function One, Martin Audio and MA to provide monitoring data on single phase supplies to their products. For a longtime now, screen and lighting fixture manufactures have made a huge fuss about moving over to LED technology to improve the efficiency of their product ranges and yet, quite ironically, the figures they cite in their data sheets are inaccurate, often over-egging their power requirements. Perhaps, they should take note of the audio suppliers’ approach, which is to contract specialists to supply actual data on the use of their equipment in real live scenarios, for example on tours or at festivals, and not just laboratory conditions.
For me, engaging with manufacturers in this way, as they seek to improve existing product ranges or develop new ones, is a vital part of the journey to emission reductions. As I have been saying for years, to understand your site-wide load, is to understand what it is connected to it. Organisers who employ this kind of distribution level monitoring, can reach out to brands and offer to share data with them, who knows, they might even get a discount on hire rates or a mention in promotions!
However, if organisers are genuine about reducing their power consumption, then they need to be confident in their procurement choices, both in terms of the brands and fixtures that they choose. For this to happen, then these kinds of partnerships need to become the norm, as this will ensure that manufacturers who do not prioritise more sustainable product development are weeded out!
This news story originally appeared Vision: 2025’s November 2024 newsletter. Sign up to the newsletter and receive news, resources and guest blogs to your inbox by joining our mailing list.