System Electrical Power Monitoring Manifold Based on Software Development and an Embedded System for Intelligent Buildings

Monitoring electric parameters and electrical consumption for multiple circuits to determine exactly where and how much electric power is consumed is one of the primary problems of intelligent buildings. In this paper, the development of a power consumption and quality monitoring system called MonitoUAQ is described, and the results obtained during its testing are discussed. The MonitoUAQ system was created to maximize the effective and efficient use of energy resources. It was developed around a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to monitor multiple branch circuits on a common distribution panel and enhanced by a client-server interactive network architecture. This intranet-controlled power-monitoring system integrates control, measurement, and communication. Its implementation is economical by eliminating the need for extra network construction and the associated hardware investment. Moreover, the multicast Web application allows multiple users to access the power metering results in a variety of applications in a soft-real-time manner. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)EY.19437897.0000030. (C) 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.