Towards Smart Campus of Universiti Malaya: Realization of Real-time Building Energy Monitoring System (BEMS)

Abstract

The 2023 Agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasizes the importance of considering the impacts on environmental ecosystems, which are essential for societal and governance growth. Universiti Malaya has initiated the Universiti Malaya Sustainability Policy 2021-2030, which aligns with the SDGs program through governance, research, and academic initiatives as part of its long-term sustainability strategy. This paper presents a visualization of a Building Energy Monitoring System (BEMS) developed locally by the UM Power Energy Dedicated Advanced Centre (UMPEDAC) to illustrate real-time analysis of energy data collected from the system. The developed system measures up to 90 electrical parameters at one-minute intervals to calculate and analyze related energy metrics for energy management and monitoring. The findings compare the energy consumption profiles and carbon impacts of two locations: the Wisma R&D UM building and the Management, Research & Innovation (KPPI) Complex. The analysis of energy consumption patterns during daytime hours (from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM) and nighttime hours (from 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM), with a focus on usage during weekdays, weekends, and public holidays, reveals that overall, 67% of energy is consumed during the daytime, while 33% is consumed at night. Additionally, the total carbon avoidance achieved from the installation of solar PV systems at the two locations is 9.82 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e). As part of the carbon mitigation plans, the BEMS system holds great potential for future enhancements through the integration of artificial intelligence features. These improvements can facilitate better planning of energy management and monitoring systems at the University to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).