Glossary
Energy management system
Also known as: EMS, Energiemanagementsystem, Energy management
An energy management system (EMS) is the control centre of a commercial energy installation: it monitors production, consumption and storage level in real time and coordinates the PV system, battery storage, flexible loads and charging infrastructure against economic targets. Typical functions are peak shaving, self-consumption optimisation and prioritised charging. Modern systems use load forecasts and machine learning to anticipate recurring patterns.
Without an EMS, battery storage and PV system remain isolated components. Only the overarching control layer decides in every 15-minute window whether the battery charges, discharges or stays in reserve for an approaching load peak, making peak shaving and self-consumption optimisation possible at the same time.
Prioritisation follows the economics: peak load capping comes first because it directly lowers the demand charge; after that, the system maximises self-consumption and serves downstream applications such as charging fleet vehicles.
For how AI-supported systems forecast load profiles and dispatch storage ahead of time, see Energy management with AI.