Industry 4.0 energy monitoring system for multiple production machines

Abstract

Energy consumption is a key contributor to scope two emissions and to the cost of manufacturing. Reducing energy consumption in manufacturing can significantly improve environmental performance by reducing the scope two carbon footprint for industries, especially before the de-carbonization of energy. Monitoring energy consumption for manufacturing facilities, multiple machines, and production resources is essential to achieve this. Hence, this study focuses on developing an energy monitoring system that allows the industry to monitor real-time energy consumption for multiple machines via an open-sources application platform. The implementation of this system is presented in detail, including the integration, and interlinking of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and web application platforms. The development of databases, web application platform, and data visualisation is reported. This energy-monitoring platform displays real-time data, including voltage, current, peak power, energy consumption, energy cost, and scope 2 carbon emissions, empowering end users to make decisions according to manufacturing objectives. This study contributes to the industrial monitoring of energy patterns, which is crucial to facilitate energy efficiency measures under industry 4.0 competency. The implementation of this system does not require modifications to machines or equipment, reducing the barriers to implementation in the industry. Therefore, this monitoring system is necessary for moving towards net zero carbon and sustainable industry 4.0 manufacturing.