Joint press release from ODVA, OPC Foundation, PI and VDMA
Accurate energy consumption data is essential for companies aiming to achieve climate-neutral production. To support this goal, a consortium of organizations has recently published a groundbreaking specification for interoperable and efficient energy management in industrial and process automation.
Scottsdale, AZ, March 31, 2025 – A key goal of the mechanical and plant engineering industry is to achieve climate-neutral production in the future. This effort is supported by the European Union’s European Green Deal, which aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. In order to achieve this goal and implement many other use cases, accurate data on energy consumption in production is crucial. The consortium, consisting of the organizations ODVA, OPC Foundation, PI and VDMA, has now jointly published version 1.0.0 of their groundbreaking specification for interoperable and efficient energy management in industrial automation and process automation. This group is chaired by the VDMA.
Dietmar Bohn, Managing Director of PNO, explains: ” The measurement and analysis of energy consumption in machines and systems is an extremely important topic for the future. We are pleased to make an active contribution to this important initiative to optimize energy consumption and thereby reduce the harmful effects on the environment caused by waste and surplus.”
Standardized information model based on OPC UA
This specification defines a standardized information model based on OPC UA that enables comprehensive energy management in industrial automation.”This Power Consumption Management collaboration ensures that end users have a highly standardized and interoperable means of achieving their environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals,” explains Dr. Al Beydoun, President and CEO of ODVA.
The introduction of this standard will make energy management in industry considerably easier: companies can now record, analyze and use precise and consistent energy data even more efficiently in order to further increase their energy efficiency. This not only helps to reduce operating costs, but also to reduce the ecological footprint. Standardization makes it possible to implement innovative technologies and best practices faster and more effectively, which contributes to more sustainable and environmentally friendly production in the long term.
Monitoring and standby management: core content of the new specification
The specification essentially comprises two main content fields: Firstly, monitoring, i.e. the display of all types of energy consumption, including electrical energy as well as energy from air, water or coal. Secondly, standby management, which is understood to mean the control and display of various energy-saving modes on machines and components. It is based on the results of the research project “Development of energy management interfaces for IoT technologies (IoTEnRG)”. “The aim of the IoTEnRG research project was to make the results available to industry. We were able to contribute our results directly to the Joint Working Group and thus significantly accelerate the development of the OPC UA Companion Specification,” says Prof. Dr. Niemann from the Institute for Sensor Technology and Automation at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hannover.
“For digitalization, we need an agreement on a common understanding and description of data, including in the energy sector. OPC UA provides exactly that. I am proud that with this joint group, we can also contribute to the energy transition and thus promote optimized energy savings through standardized and efficient monitoring,” says Stefan Hoppe, President of the OPC Foundation.
Machinery Building Block: A step towards climate-neutral production
The VDMA has defined a fundamental standard for the entire mechanical and plant engineering industry, known as “OPC UA for Machinery”. Various functional building blocks are specified in this standard. A new building block for energy management is being developed based on the publication. “The four organizations have been working hard to harmonize and standardize information on energy consumption in manufacturing. This is an excellent first step towards defining an upcoming OPC UA Building Block for mechanical engineering that will bring the machine and plant manufacturing industry a big step closer to the goal of climate-neutral production,” says Andreas Faath, director of the VDMA Machine Information Interoperability department.
Contact & Further information can be found on the following websites:
Visit the ODVA online at: www.odva.org
Contact: Steve Fales sfales@odva.org
Visit the OPC Foundation online at: www.opcfoundation.org
Contact: Stefan Hoppe Stefan.Hoppe@OPCFoundation.org
Visit PROFIBUS online at: https://www.profibus.de
Contact: Barbara Weber
Barbara.Weber@profibus.com
Visit the VDMA online at: https://www.vdma.org/
Contact: Heiko Herden
Heiko.Herden@vdma.org
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