DC-83-05-1-- Software Aspects of Energy Management Systems PDF

This paper is intended to serve the need for an understanding of the role which software plays in energy management systems (EMS), and of the considerations involved in designing, implementing and maintaining such systems. The paper begins with a brief elementary examination of what software is and the types of basic functions it typically performs in EMS applications. Various aspects of EMS software are then explained and discussed, including software architecture, programming language, operating system, data base management, man-machine interface, application software, and communications.

In addition to providing a tutorial on the composition and content of EMS software, the paper addresses several related questions, such as the reasons for choosing one programming language over another, the effect of system size on software factors, the extent to which off-the-shelf software components can and should be incorporated in EMS, and the relationship of software to the overall user interface with the systems.