Wireless sensor networks for in situ energy efficiency monitoring

Energy efficiency in manufacturing is critical for a reduction of overall energy consumption and also better demand response (DR) to offset non-essential peak energy against rising cost of energy. Motivated by our industrial partner's demands on precise and timely information about the energy usage, this paper presents the design and testing of a wireless sensor network (WSN) for collecting electrical energy consumption and power quality monitoring within an industrial environment. The proposed network includes a set of in situ wireless nodes each connected to a production line and a data sink located in a control room for data collection, data visualization and user interaction. The features of this system include the ability to real time monitor energy consumption, low cost and cable-free deployment of multiple monitor nodes to cause no additional hazards in the production environment. This system enables that production line energy consumption can be monitored effectively using inexpensive sensors and data can be acquired, without disruption of production, in order to determine energy usage between different stages and lines of production and more accurately grade customer pricing per part produced.