ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the tools for monitoring, measuring, and verifying system performance. It begins with the history of energy monitoring and controls, and then highlights a few energy information and management systems with an overview of how proportional, integral, derivative gain (PID) controllers work. Next, it discusses the International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP), and the need for standardization of measurement and verification. The chapter discusses the potential of machine learning, including supervised and unsupervised learning, to transform solar energy operations and maintenance, and measurement and verification. Finally, it introduces the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s System Advisor Model (SAM) and PVWatts Calculator.
