WO2005004020A1

WO2005004020A1 - Method to measure and display energy use for an enterprise

Info

Publication number: WO2005004020A1
Application number: PCT/IB2003/004364
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jan Wiik; Edgar Jellum; Trond Haugen; Ole Jakob Soerdalen; Vidar Hegre
Original assignee: Abb Research Ltd
Priority date: 2003-07-03
Filing date: 2003-10-03
Publication date: 2005-01-13
Also published as: AU2003265082A1

Abstract

A method for measuring energy use in an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control. Each said installation comprises in turn a plurality of devices and energy-related information for each said device is stored in a said control system. A client application requests energy information about any said device from a server of a said control system and the information is retrieved by means of an object oriented control system comprising a software object with an energy member containing one or more predefined interfaces adapted for retrieval of information for an energy parameter. A system, a graphic user interface and computer software means for carrying out the methods are described. Energy measures such as energy consumption may be displayed at the same time as energy measures for energy availability, emissions, safety, energy costs so providing a technical overview of the energy context.

Description

METHOD TO MEASURE AND DISPLAY ENERGY USE FOR AN ENTERPRISE

TECHNICAL AREA

This invention relates to a method and a system for providing measures of energy consumption in an enterprise. In particular, and not exclusively, the invention provides a means to measure total energy consumption for at least a part of an enterprise.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Energy measurement methods are traditionally methods for installations that include a plurality of systems, such as legacy systems. Although much technical information exists, it is distributed among different systems each having different categories of data and/or different methods of storing and retrieving technical data. Examples of such systems are power management systems, computerized maintenance systems, process control systems, energy management systems, and systems for process simulations and optimization. Examples of information to be found in such systems are efficiency curves, references to load characteristics of drive solutions, energy consumption logs, ratings for electric motors, and energy costs. The device is any object that consumes energy, for instance a motor, a gas turbine, a pump. An installation may also include equipment from different suppliers and from different industries. It is a complex and difficult task to retrieve information from all of those systems so as to give a reliable and extensive picture of energy use in an enterprise on a historical basis. It is also very difficult, time consuming and error prone to organize, enter, maintain and retrieve information related to a specific device.

From the international patent application WO 01/02953 it is known to represent real world objects in control systems by means of one or more software objects. The real world object may be a single device, on object in a process or complete equipment. The software objects to be controlled are represented as first software objects called composite objects. The system also includes second software objects called aspect objects, which represent data and/or operations of the real world object. The aspect objects are provided with an interface for entry of and retrieval of data and for invoking functionality. The composite object is a container holding at least one aspect representing data for the real world object. The composite object includes information leading to one or more interfaces of aspect objects.

US 6,178,362, entitled Energy management system and method; describes an energy and facilities management system and method for energy users with large physical plants to provide these energy users with a comprehensive understanding of the energy consumption of their physical plant system, with a system that may include three dimensional facilities navigation tools, powerfull energy consumption analysis processes, TCP/IP communication capabilities, and a World Wide Web (WWW) -based interface. The system described also includes a real-time data retrieval and dissemination process and system which permits real-time energy data to be communicated within the system. The described system may succeed in providing a common user interface regardless of data origin by means of using a WWW-type interface. However the system also requires a gateway (G) which acts as an interface between any given device D and the data servers. The described gateway interprets the particular device or equipments signals into standardized data which may then be stored by the servers. Further, each gateway G may be somewhat unique since it converts signals from a particular device D into a standard format.

Consequently, the provision of such a gateway for each device appears to require considerable engineering work.

US 6,519,509, entitled System and method for monitoring and controlling energy distribution; describes a system that includes a distributed network, a network access device, and a management device. The network access device communicates with the management device through the distributed network to control loads at a remote location. The described method of monitoring and controlling energy distribution receives data at an on-line Site, processes an application program that evaluates load and market supply data, and initiates power curtailment requests or power curtailment events.

The prior art provides methods and systems to calculate energy use, however there are disadvantages with those methods and systems. Further, the prior art does not provide such energy use information in a way that supports a technical decision for operation of a plant or site. Nor does the prior art provide energy use information that supports a technical evaluation of an operation of a plant from an environmental and or sustainability point of view.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention solves one or more of the above problems.

It is an aim of the invention to provide a technical overview of total energy consumption in a part of an enterprise and in relation to either or both of a measured figure for available energy, energy intensity or energy emissions. It is also an aim to facilitate making technical adjustments for optimal energy use. It is also an aim to facilitate making operational adjustments.

A method is provided according to a first facet of the invention, which measures energy use for an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control, each said installation comprising in turn a plurality of devices, and a client application requests energy information about a device from a server of said one or more control systems, wherein the consumption of energy for a part of said enterprise is provided at the same time as at least one of: energy availability; environmental emissions; which said measures are provided by means of a function of an object-oriented control system.

According to different facets of the invention there is provided a graphical user interface as claimed in the ensuing claim 21, a system as claimed in the ensuing claim 27, a computer program according to the ensuing claim 31, and a computer data signal according to the ensuing claim 33.

In another facet of the invention a graphic user interface is provided to display the consumption of energy of a part of the enterprise at the same time as either or both of energy availability; environmental emissions wherein those measures are indicated by a graphic member.

The principle advantage provided by the invention is that it provides an accurate system to monitor and/or control total energy consumption of a part or the whole of an enterprise. This is because a key measure, such as total instantaneous energy consumption, is shown together with or at the same time as other key measures such as available energy, energy emissions, safety and energy costs. An accurate measure of total consumption on its own does not provide sufficient technical information to enable an evaluation or decision about energy use and/or efficiency to be made. A measure of total consumption on its own definitely does not provide technical information to make any evaluation of environmental impact or of plant sustainability. The invention therefore provides at least one other key measure presented at the same time so that the energy use may be evaluated. This provides a great benefit in being able to measure events in terms of environmental impact and in terms for evaluating plant operation from an energy sustainability perspective. By providing simultaneously on the same screen member energy consumption together with the respective values for other measures preferably energy availability, environmental emissions, safety and energy costs the operator, engineer or manager may evaluate environmental impact or sustainability potential based on a correct representation of the technical performance of an equipment, plant or complete installation. Another advantage of the invention is that the technical information described here is also made available according to a required time basis. This means that as well as instantaneous values the system may provide any other time basis such as historical, selected time periods, selected cut-off times, trends and combinations of different time bases.

Another advantage over the conventional control systems is that the invention provides a more accurate system to monitor and/or control total energy consumption for each energy type, as well as the total .

Another important advantage of the invention is that the energy related measure displayed by the graphic interface may also act as an entrance to the information underlying the displayed measure, which information is arranged, so as to say, in layers of increasing detail. The information may be arranged according to the software structures that the software objects are arranged in. The structures, as first described in WO 01/02953 (above) are any conceptual or physical grouping of objects to represent a common attribute. Commonly used structures are location, function, a batch, a process and so on. By first arranging software objects with energy members for any given device in a plurality of structures it is possible then to automatically measure and collect the energy related information per real world or logical grouping. Once configured and implemented, the software object with an energy member provides information that may be aggregated upwards so as to say to give a total measure for a given unit. The same object providing that total measure may also be activated by a user to travel down, or drill down, so as to say, through successive levels of aggregation from a plant level down and examine or collect information at a function level, process level etc., down to the device level. The man skilled in the art will also realise that the measures that enable a measure of energy intensity, here meaning the amount of energy required to produce a given level of production, provides a measure, or at least an indication, that equipment performance is declining or varying in an unexpected way. This signals an area for investigation and the levels of detailed information made available by the invention identifies in which part of the plant or equipment the variation or deterioration is taking place.

The invention may be applied to any existing installation to which an existing or new object-oriented control system may be installed, as well as in newer and perhaps more energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly installations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with particular reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic diagram of a screen capture showing a software object in an object oriented control system configured to comprise energy members according to an embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 shows details of those energy members;

FIGURES 3a, 3b are schematic diagrams from a screen capture showing a configuration of an interface for an energy member of a software object in an object oriented control system according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 4, is a schematic diagram from a screen capture showing a configuration of the interface for energy related sources and source types; FIGURES 5a, 5b are schematic diagrams from a screen capture showing a configuration of an interface for an energy member of a software object for an energy saving opportunity in an object oriented control system according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is a schematic diagram from a screen capture showing a configuration of an interface for an energy member of a software object for targets and Alarms according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 7 is a schematic diagram from a screen capture showing a configuration of an interface for a second energy member for a Calculation of energy related values of a software object according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is a schematic diagram of a screen capture showing a trend for energy consumption a part of an enterprise according an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 9 is a schematic diagram for a screen display showing a navigation from a process level down to a component level according to an embodiment of a system according to the invention;

FIGURE 10 is a schematic diagram from a screen display with graphic members showing measurements of energy consumption together with graphic members for energy availability, environmental emissions, safety and energy costs for a part of an enterprise according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 11 is a schematic diagram from a screen display with graphic members showing measurements of energy intensity together with graphic members for energy availability, environmental emissions, safety and energy costs for a part of an enterprise according to an embodiment of the invention; FIGURE 12 is a schematic diagram from a screen display with graphic members showing measurements of energy intensity and an Opportunity for energy savings for a component, according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Figure 1 shows a screen capture of an example of a representation of a plant or other grouping of industrial devices by means of an object oriented control system according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the left panel a tree-like arrangement may be seen for a PVC Enterprise. It includes a German Plant, a Swiss plant and a UK plant for producing PVC. The UK plant is shown here broken down into a series of processes of which three are shown: Dryer Process, Reactor Process and Stripping Process.

One process, the Reactor Process is shown at the next level of detail, to consist of a number of pieces of equipment group around Intermediate Storage Tanks and Reactors. One such Reactor, Reactor 1 is further broken down to sub-components, a Poly-Agitator, and two Slurry Transfer Pumps. The Poly-Agitator has been broken down or opened to show a further level of equipment detail, and the item, a Motor, Fixed Speed Motor, 1 is shown selected.

In the right panel a series of software functions are displayed dependent on one selected software object, the Fixed Speed Motor shown selected in the left panel. It can also be seen that most of the functions may be configured to be inherited or not, which will be described more fully below in relation to parent-child functionality. The series of software functions displayed as a result of selecting the Fixed Speed Motor 1 in the Poly-Agitator of Reactor 1 in the Reactor Process of the UK PVC plant include five energy related aspects, 2a-2e.

Figure 2 shows the functions of the right panel of Figure 1. It shows an Efficiency aspect 2e, an Efficiency Calculation aspect 2d, an Electricity Utilization Calculation aspect 2b, and

Electricity Consumption aspect 2a and an Energy Loss aspect 2c. The software object representing Fixed Speed Motor 1 in an object oriented control system has been configured in this example to include five different energy aspects.

Figure 3a shows a configuration window for an energy aspect,

Electricity Consumption 2a of Figure 2. The window comprises three tabs, labelled Source Type Specifics 2al, General Parameters 2a2 and Opportunities 2a3. The Source Type Specifics pane is selected, and the diagram shows a Source Type of Metered 2a5 that has been selected or configured by using this pane of the aspect configuration window. Figure 3b shows examples of other Source Types that may be selected or configured instead of Metered 2a5, these being, Calculated 2a5 ' and Aggregated 2a5''. Each of these Source Types are in turn configured with an address for an interface, a software interface, where this information may be retrieved. Note that the energy-related information may be retrieved from any computerised source, including a legacy system, dependent on the configuration of interface address and effective object location by means of, for example, an OPC (Object linking and embedding for Process Control) server. OPC is a standard protocol for communication between industrial devices and/or computers. The energy member objects can also contain methods for aggregation of values, so that the exposed property, e.g. the property value, of an energy member object is aggregated values of a specific information type. Several different aggregation methods may be configured in the energy member object. A configuration of each information object of the information type is stored in a database by the information coordinator.

Source Type Metered 2a5 may be configured by means of the Browse for Property 2a7 button of the pane in Figure 3b, such that a user browses through parts of the installation arranged in different structures in the control system to a measured value, retrieved for example by means of an OPC server. In contrast, values for Simulated are retrieved from a simulated structure, not a structure that maps a real world set such as a location structure or a functionality structure. Aggregated 2a5'' is configured in much the same way as Metered 2a5, by setting Aggregated for the same energy aspect, in this case, Electricity Consumption 2a.

Source type Calculated 2a5' may be selected for example as an external process model or by internal scripting, which is described in more detail in relation to Calculated below.

Figure 4 shows the equivalent pane of Figure 3a with the Source Type 2a5 selected as Aggregated. Figure 4 shows in the left pane a Reactor process object 48. In the configuration section for the Electricity Consumption aspect, configurable fields for Source Types to be Aggregated 40, Structure to aggregate 42, Type of Aggregation 43, Level of Aggregation 42, and a Weighed Property Name 44 are shown. In this example, a Functional Structure has been selected for aggregation at 41, together with a Summation mode of aggregation 43 at a level of 10 to aggregate Metered and Calculated sources. The button Subscribe to Value (Figure 3a, 3b, 5a) is pressed for the present Electricity Consumption aspect for the reactor process Object 48 the value of all metered and calculated electricity aspects in the lower lying structures are then added together . The Subscribe to Value button has been replaced by a Value= label 49 and the aggregated value for electricity consumption for the selected Reactor Process 48 and all lower lying structures is shown 49 to be 1,164.37. The man skilled in the art understands that by means of this easy configuration method a software object may be configured to comprise energy aspects capable of retrieving energy information for a single object, which may in turn be configured so that the single objects energy information is aggregated within one or more conceptual groupings such as a process group or location group etc. The man skilled in the art further understands that when a single object of a particular type that has properties that may be inherited has been configured, it may be implemented at run time to represent all of the same type of object in each equipment, process stage, process, plant, site, installation etc in any given part of the enterprise. The object oriented control system comprising energy members, energy aspects, according to the present invention may also provide and generate data other than energy consumption. Figure 5a shows a pane for selection and configuration of Opportunities, selected via the tab 2a3 of Figure 2.

For example an Opportunity can be configured to provide an opportunity for an Energy Saving. Figures 5a, 5b show the energy aspect Electricity Consumption of Figure 2 with the Opportunities tab selected. The Opportunity pane may have two parts, an Opportunity Description and an Opportunity Expression. An Opportunity is named by means of a Short Title 53, and described in a field called Detailed Description 54. The Opportunity is then created by writing one or more expressions including one or more of the Short Names, and put into effect for this energy aspect of this object (Fixed Speed Motor 1) by pressing the button for Subscribe to Opportunity Flag 55. In the present example, Turn Off Motor, an Energy Saving has been described as turning off the motor when efficiency drops below a certain level and defined or configured as an Opportunity Expression 56. An Opportunity flag is exposed via a data address, preferably via an OPC server. The expression may be configured by connecting to values via an OPC server, values in one or more expressions 56 based on Short Names.

An example of a Scripting Expression is shown in Figure 5b. Figure 5b shows a Short Name 51a, 51b a Property ID, Structure & Property Path field 52, buttons to Add Variable and Remove Variable and a field containing the Expression. The short name to be used in the Expression is written in the Short Name field; the operator browses 52c to find the Property ID, Structure Name and Path 52a. In the example shown the property 52b is shown to be: Functional Structure; . : ProductData :Rated_Power where Functional Structure is a structure for functions in the plant eg drying, reacting, stripping etc. and the property is

Rated Power which is a part of Product Data for an equipment. In this easy manner an operator may configure an Expression for an

Energy Saving by constructing a script. Properties accessible via an OPC server may be operated on in a Scripting Expression so that a value of the expression is then exposed through an OPC property of the energy aspect, in this case, Energy Consumption 2a.

Figure 10 shows a graphic display for measurements of energy consumption and other key indicators such as energy availability, energy emissions, safety, and energy costs. Three software objects 100 representing three of the plants that are part of the

Enterprise are shown in a left panel, and in a right panel the three geographical locations of those three plants 101, 102, 103 are shown. An array of graphic members 113-117 each show the following energy measures: Energy consumption 113, Energy Availability 114, Energy Emissions 115, Safety 116, Energy Costs 117. Energy Consumption 113 is indicated by a graphic member of 113 that also comprises a predetermined permitted level 111, which may be a Target level, which may be represented in a signal colour, such as green. Another graphic member 112 comprises a level that is not permitted or desirable, which may be an Alarm level, which may also be represented in a different colour, eg red. An operator when looking at the aggregated Energy Consumption for a given equipment or part of an installation or an Enterprise shown by 113 can see at a glance the level of energy use and how close that level of use is to a maximum permitted level or to a non-permitted level.

Furthermore, the significant indicators related to Energy Consumption, Energy Availability, Emissions etc are also shown simultaneously with Energy Consumption. Thus a user who may be logged on to the system as an operator, technician, engineer, department manager may receive a complete array of technical information. For example, may energy consumption be increased at this time? According to Energy Availability there is capacity, according to emissions there may be capacity, according to Safety (described in more detail below) the selected plant or part thereof has already exceeded the predetermined permitted level, and so on. The description of the functions depicted in Figure 10 may be in terms of actual on-line values. The graphic display may also display at least in part selected calculated and/or simulated values, depending on which sources have been selected in the various energy aspects such as 2a-e.

Figure 10 also shows various aspect-driven functions including Opportunities 123, Forecast Report 124, Set Targets 125 and Analyze Fuel Consumption 126. The Opportunities function of the graphic display shown in Figure 10 is related to the Opportunities 2a3 of Figure 2, 3 detailed in respect of Figure 4. Set Targets 125 may be used to set Targets and/or Alarms for the currently selected object and, for example, for one level beneath the selected object. In Figure 10 a Trend for Energy Availability is generated and displayed by pressing the respective Trend button HIT. An Alarm list 112A is displayed, bottom of figure, in this example for Energy Costs 117 which are over Target by greater than a predetermined amount .

There are then at least two ways to navigate to objects via graphic display members to examine or find energy related information, via the plants 100 in the object structures of the left panel or via the graphic location image, the map, of the right panel. Activating a plant object in the right panel or a location symbol on the map left panel and by, for example, right- clicking on either of those objects gives the user access to each of the underlying levels, or levels of aggregation, of energy- related information per site, per process group, per function, per device.

Figure 9 shows an example of a simple method to navigate down, so as to say, to lower levels, to a component level of information detail, starting from a graphic member of a display. Figure 9 shows a selected Structure 121, a component, a Fixed Speed Motor 122 that has been selected in the functional structure 121 from a Dryer process. A list of all motors in the Dryer process has been provided. For the selected Fixed Speed Motor, the information stored in the energy aspect comprises Rated power (kW) 124a,

Mechanical utilisation (%) 124b and Electrical utilisation (%) 124c.

The Targets and Alarms described in relation to Figure 10 may be configured within the energy aspects (such as 2a-e) . Figure 6 shows a window for Target Setting which is displayed by pressing the button for Set Targets 125 Figure 11 with the UK PVC Plant 68 selected, for example as object 101 or UK PVC Plant in the graphic display shown Figure 10 or FIGURE 11. Figure 6 shows an Aspect Selector 62 with, in this example, Specific Fuel Consumption selected (although any aspect or energy aspect in the control system may be selected for target and alarm setting) . There is also a Parameter Selector 60 with which to set different types of parameters. Selected levels 63b are shown listed under Area 63a with their children 63c or child objects, and a sum for all Children (child objects) 63d. Performance targets are shown listed under Target 64 and Actuals 65 similarly listed. Targets and/or alarms for different levels of energy-related information detail are thus made available to a user. New Targets 66 may be selected or set. Pressing on the Save button 67 automatically updates everything that contains the aspect for which the targets or alarms were set. This will include, amongst others, Trends, HIT Figure 10 and the graphic energy measurement display 113 in this example.

Figure 11 shows a similar graphic display for measurements of energy consumption, with the exception that energy consumption is expressed as a specific value for total energy consumed per product, called energy intensity. Energy intensity, total energy per amount of product produced, may also be described as a specific total energy consumption. The Energy Intensity 133 and other key indicators such as energy availability 114', energy emissions 115', safety 116', and energy costs 117'. A number of software objects 131 representing a Reaction Section part of a plant that are part of a second Enterprise are shown in a left panel, and in a right panel the graphic display for the energy measures is shown similar to Figure 10. The array of graphic members 133, 114' -117' each show the following energy measures: Energy intensity 133, Energy Availability 114', Energy Emissions 115', Safety 116', Energy Costs 117'. Energy intensity 133 is also indicated by a graphic member comprises a predetermined permitted level, which may be a Target level, which may be represented in a signal colour, such as green. Another graphic member comprises a level that is not permitted or desirable, which may be an Alarm level, which may also be represented in a different colour, eg red.

Figure 12 shows an Energy Opportunity. A process selection,

Reaction Section 144 has been made from a graphic display for energy intensity of the type shown in Figure 11. Also shown are a selected component, Feeder Pump 1, 141a, 141b, an energy consumption figure 143, a graph of energy efficiency 147 provided based, for example on historical data on loads, and a graph of energy component efficiency 146 based on installed efficiency compared to product data.

Simple calculations may be selected and/or configured by means of a Calculation Aspect 2f, in Figure 7. A Selection of model 70 may be made, an Efficiency Curve in this example. Refresh or OPC update rate 71 may be selected. Input variables 73a, 73b, 73c may be selected from lists of variables available from different Properties Paths 72a, 72b, 72c. Output variables 75a, 75b are shown for the respective Write Properties paths 74a, 74b. The calculation aspect 2f may be implemented using a Simple Server. Figure 8 shows an example for a Trend as described above in relation to Trend HIT, Figure 10 Trend 134, Figure 11. Figure 8 shows a Trend for specific fuel consumption for the UK plant. Specific fuel consumption, as noted above, may also be described as energy intensity or the energy consumption per unit produced. A target level T is shown 84b and an Alarm A level 84a. Specific consumption 81 is based on historical data for 1 year, and rate of change for this key (energy) performance indicator is shown by the lower graph 82.

The methods of the invention may be carried out by means of one or more computer programs comprising computer program code or software portions running on a computer or a processor. The microprocessor (or processors) comprises a central processing unit CPU performing the steps of the method according to one or more facets of the invention. This is performed with the aid of one or more said computer programs, which are stored at least in part in memory accessible by the one or more processors. The or each processor may be in a central object oriented control system in a local or distributed computerised control system. It is to be understood that said computer programs may also be run on one or more general purpose industrial microprocessors or computers instead of one or more specially adapted computers or processors.

The computer program comprises computer program code elements or software code portions that make the computer perform the method using equations, algorithms, data, stored values and calculations previously described. A part of the program may be stored in a processor as above, but also in a ROM, RAM, PROM or EPROM chip or similar memory means. The program in part or in whole may also be stored on, or in, other suitable computer readable medium such as a magnetic disk, CD-ROM or DVD disk, hard disk, magneto-optical memory storage means, in volatile memory, in flash memory, as firmware, stored on a data server or on one or more arrays of data servers. Other known and suitable media, including removable memory media such as Sony memory stick (TM) and other removable flash memories, hard drives etc. may also be used.

The computer programs described may also be arranged in part as a distributed application capable of running on several different computers or computer systems at more or less the same time. Programs as well as data such as energy related information may each be made available for retrieval, delivery or, in the case of programs, execution over the Internet. Data may be accessed by means of any of: OPC, OPC servers, an Object Request Broker such as COM, DCOM or CORBA, a web service.

It is also noted that while the above describes exemplifying embodiments of the invention, there are several variations and modifications which may be made to the disclosed solution without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

CLAIM

1. A method to measure energy use in an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control, each said installation comprising in turn a plurality of devices, wherein energy-related information for each said device is stored in a said control system and a client application requests energy information about a said device from a server of a said control system, characterised by: -providing an object oriented control system comprising a software object (1) with an energy member (2a-e) containing one or more predefined interfaces (2a8) adapted for retrieval of information for an energy parameter, and -providing a value (113, 133) for a total use of energy for a part of said enterprise at the same time as a value for at least one of: energy availability (114, 114') ; environmental emissions (115, 115'); safety (116, 116'); energy costs (117, 117').

2. A method according to claim 1, characterised by selecting and configuring a source of energy-related information (2a3) for a software object for at least one energy parameter from any of the predefined information sources (2a5) .

3. A method according to claim 1, characterised by selecting a software object (1) representing a said device and configuring the software object with an address (2a8) where a value may be retrieved for energy information from any source from the list of: metered ( 2a5 ) , calculated (2a5'), aggregated (2a5''), simulated.

4. A method according to claim 3, characterised by storing in the object oriented control system configured energy members (2a-e) of at least one known software object (1) for each different said device, each of which known software objects which, at run time, cause the implementation of software objects comprising pre- configured energy members for each of all said devices -(-14- included in the control system.

5. A method according to claim 4, characterised by traversing by means of a client application a part of the object oriented control system and collecting information about an energy parameter from the energy member (2a-e) for each said device -(44 in that part system.

6. A method according to claim 5, characterised by aggregating all the values for the at least one energy parameter in a part of the enterprise.

7. A method according to claim 6, characterised by aggregating the values for the at least one energy parameter information for each structure that the software object (1) is comprised in.

8. A method according to claim 7, characterised by aggregating the values for the at least one energy parameter information for each structure of the part of the enterprise that the software object (1) is comprised in.

9. A method according to claim 8, characterised by providing a value for a total use of energy for a part of said enterprise at the same time as at least one of: energy availability (114, 114'); environmental emissions (115, 115'); safety (116, 116'; energy costs (117, 117'); by means of a calculation function of one or more energy members of the object-oriented control system.

10. A method according to claim 9, characterised by providing at least one calculation function for an energy saving opportunity (2d) configured in an energy member (2a-e) of the software object.

11. A method according to claim 1, characterised by providing a plurality of energy related information sources (2a5, 2a5', 2a5'' for retrieval of information for an energy parameter.

12. A method according to claim 11, characterised by providing an energy related information source for retrieval of information for an energy parameter based on any from the list of: metered values (2a5); calculated values (2a5'); historical values; simulated values; aggregated values (2a5'').

13. A method according to claim 11, characterised by providing a total value for use of energy as a function of an expected energy consumption in the part of said enterprise.

14. A method according to claim 13, characterised by providing a total value for use of energy as a function of a target energy consumption (111) in the part of said enterprise.

15. A method according to claim 13, characterised by providing a total value for use of energy as a function of an alarm level (112) for a predetermined energy consumption in the part of said enterprise .

16. A method according to claim 1, characterised by providing one or more measures of energy use based on a time basis that may be any of the list of: instantaneous values, values over a period, values at past times, trends, opportunities.

17. A method according to claim 16, characterised by providing one or more graphic members (113-117) for a part of the enterprise representing any of: total energy consumption (113); energy availability (114) ; environmental emissions (115) ; safety (116) ; energy costs (117); an energy saving opportunity.

18. A method according to claim 16, characterised by providing one or more graphic members (133, 114' -117') for a part of the enterprise representing any of: specific total energy consumption (133); energy availability (114'); environmental emissions (115'); safety (116'); energy costs (117 ') ; an energy saving opportunity.

19. A method according to claim 17, characterised by providing an energy measure displayed by each graphic member (113-117) dependent on the energy related information retrieved via pre- configured energy members (2a-e) for each said device (1) in the part of said enterprise.

20. A method according to claim 1, characterised by retrieving at least part of the energy related information configured with an energy parameter from the energy member for each said device in that part system by means of an OPC server.

21. A graphical user interface for displaying measurements of energy use in an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control, each said installation comprising in turn a plurality of devices, wherein energy-related information for each said device is stored in a said control system and a client application requests energy information about a said device from a server of a said control system, characterised by comprising one or more graphic members representing consumption of energy (113, 133) and any of: energy availability (114), environmental emissions (115), safety (116), energy costs (117).

22. A graphical user interface according to claim 21, characterised by providing access to energy related information underlying the energy measures represented by the graphic members (113-117) .

23. A graphical user interface according to claim 22, characterised by providing access to the energy related information underlying the energy measures by activation of the graphic members (113-117) to navigate to the information.

24. A graphical user interface according to claim 23, characterised by providing access to the energy related information by means of making a client request via a predefined interface of an energy member (2a-e) of at least one software object (1) representing a device in a part of said enterprise.

25. A graphical user interface according to claim 24, characterised by configuring at least one software object (1) into one or more of a plurality of structures representing for a part of the enterprise any of from the list of: a process, process section, a location, a batch, a plant, plant equipment, a functional system.

26. A graphical user interface according to claim 23, characterised by providing computer based functions for activation of the graphic members to navigate to the energy related information by any from the list of: computer mouse, trackball, joystick, keyboard, keypad, touch screen, touch screen and stylus, teach pendant .

27. A system to measure energy use for an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control, each said installation comprising in turn a plurality of devices, wherein energy-related information for each said device is stored in a said control system and a client application requests energy information about a said device from a server of a said control system, characterised by an object oriented control system comprising a software object (1) with an energy member (2a-e) containing one or more predefined interfaces adapted for retrieval of information for an energy parameter.

28. A system according to claim 27, characterised by arranging the software object in one or more of a plurality of structures representing for a part of the enterprise any from the list of: a process, process section, a location, a site, a batch, a plant, plant equipment, a functional system.

29. A system according to claim 27, characterised by a graphical user interface for displaying a total value for consumption of energy for a part of said enterprise which may be displayed at the same time as at least one of: energy availability (114); environmental emissions (115); safety (116); energy costs (117); an energy saving opportunity (135, 56).

30. A system according to claim 27, characterised by comprising energy members (2a-e) configurable to retrieve information for measures of energy use based on a time basis that may be any of the list of: instantaneous values, values over a period, values at past times, trends, opportunities.

31. A computer program, comprising computer code means or software code portions for enabling a computer or a processor carry out one or more of a series of instructions according to any of claims 1- 20.

32. A computer program contained at least in part in a computer readable medium, comprising computer program code means to make a computer or processor carry out the steps according to any of claims 1-20.

33. A computer data signal for communicating measurements of energy use in an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control embodied in a carrier wave, characterised by comprising energy-related information retrieved by means of a method according to any of claims 1-20.

34. A computer data signal according to claim 33, characterised in that by the energy-related information is obtained via a predefined interface for of an energy member (2a-e) of a software object (1) in an object oriented control system retrieved in part via an OPC server .

35. Use of a system according any of claims 27-30 to provide performance monitoring for an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control.

36. Use of a system according any of claims 27-30 to drill down from an energy member and access energy information for a function, process or device for an enterprise comprising a plurality of installations and one or more control systems for process monitoring and control.