CIP Energy Profiles
Rich Morgan
Product Application Engineer
Rockwell Automation
Rick Blair
System Architect
Schneider ElectricPresented at the ODVA2014 Industry Conference & 16th Annual Meeting
March 11-13, 2014
Phoenix, Arizona, USA
Abstract:
The ODVA Energy Applications Special Interest Group (SIG) has invested significant work to define an Energy
Management Object. This object complements the previously defined energy awareness and power management
objects. The Common Industrial Protocol (CIP™) energy objects define standard attributes and services formeasuring power and energy as well as reducing energy usage, during idle time and during production. The objects
also support optional attributes and services that allow vendors to implement these objects in various ways. Thisvariety may present challenges to system designers and end users when selecting and deploying devices with CIP
energy objects in actual operation.
In the CIP specification, device profiles are defined. The profiles benefit customers because different devices fromdifferent vendors with the same device profile are interchangeable from a CIP perspective. A similar concept could
be deployed from an energy perspective. An energy profile would not replace, but would complement, a device
profile, since it should be possible for a device to have both a device and an energy profile.
This paper will introduce the concept and benefits of an energy profile. A brief introduction to the CIP Energy™
Objects will first be presented. Based on these objects, several profiles will be explored (e.g. power meter, drive,
PLC, etc.). For each of these profiles, the energy objects that are present, as well as the optional services andattributes that should be present are defined. In addition, both device and client behaviors are considered, as well as
application use cases.

Keywords:
Energy Profile
Energy AwarenessPower Management
Energy Management

Definition of Terms
CIP – the Common Industrial Protocol, an industrial automation communications protocol suite supported by
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Device Profile – a specification of a device’s object model, configuration and behavior that promotes consistency
and interoperability among devices of the same type
Aggregation – a data representation of the totalized energy or power consumed or generated by a collection ofdevices
Child – a member of a collection of devices being represented by an aggregation object

CIP Energy Objects
Energy is an indispensible component of industrial production but has been ineffectively managed as a production
resource. Acquiring energy information detailed enough for action has been difficult and costly. Automation tocontrol energy usage and related costs has likewise been costly, characterized by one-of-a-kind designs, hours ofcustom engineering effort and difficulty in cost justification. ODVA’s Optimization of Energy Usage (OEU™)
comprises a three-tiered approach to increasing the availability of less costly, more granular energy information; andstandardizes approaches to the automation of power and energy management. The three phases of OEU are:•
Awareness of energy usage;•
Consuming energy more efficiently; and•Procuring energy at the lowest cost
The ODVA Energy Applications SIG has published and is working on new specifications for a family of
independent but related CIP Energy Objects to support the OEU strategy and support the addition of energy
capabilities to a variety of CIP devices.

Awareness of Energy Usage
Three related data object specifications comprise the energy awareness suite of ODVA energy capabilities.
•

The Base Energy Object lets devices from simple to complex report their energy usage in a standardizedway, in units of kilowatt-hours (kWh). This native electrical energy unit was selected because many ODVA
members are electrical device vendors. The Global Reporting Institute (GRI) specifies units of gigajoules(GJ) for energy reporting; however values in kWh may be easily converted to values in GJ by multiplying
by 0.0036. This object also reports accuracy and information on how the data is generated. The Base
Energy Object can also be used to report the aggregated usage of a collection of devices, and can act as aproxy, reporting energy usage for devices that cannot do so themselves, or can but are not CIP devices.

•

The Electrical Energy Object reports a variety of electrical measurements, including voltages, currents,
complex power and energy, power factor, frequency, etc., similar to the types of parameters you would findin a high-end meter or power monitor.

•

The Non-Electrical Energy Object reports usage of energy resources such as natural gas, steam, fuel oil,
hot water and chilled water, each in their native energy units (e.g. therms, pounds, gallons, Btus, joules,etc.).

Some devices may report very accurate energy data, but high accuracy is not really needed at the device level. There
will usually be revenue-accurate meters upstream in the energy distribution network. The energy awareness objects
are intended to cost-effectively fill in missing pieces of the energy usage picture where today little or no information
exists. This more complete energy picture provides valuable information on the energy behavior of a machine, zone,
line or area, allowing users to make decisions that result in reduced energy usage and cost.
An Electrical Energy or Non-Electrical Energy Object instance is optionally associated with an instance of the Base
Energy Object. These subordinate objects do not provide aggregation; however, a Base Energy Object instance canreport the aggregated usage of a collection of similar Non-Electrical Energy Object instances (“similar” means the2014 ODVA Industry Conference2©2014 ODVA, Inc.

instances report usage of the same energy resource in the same units). It then reports the aggregated usage in kWh in
its own instance attributes, and in the native non-electrical energy units in an associated instance of the NonElectrical Energy Object. That way, the user can get a single view of all of the energy being used in multiple
devices and subsystems in the base units (kWh) while also being able to monitor the non-electrical loads in the units
that make sense for those types of devices and subsystems.
Together, this collection of energy objects provides standardized ways to obtain detailed energy usage informationin an industrial setting at very low cost. This can help users apply a more direct relationship between parts and theenergy utilized to manufacture them.

Consuming Energy More Efficiently
The Power Management Object provides a simple, standardized interface for commanding devices, machines, work
cells and production lines into low-power modes at lunch time, shift change, weekends, when a bottle-neck or
breakdown occurs, or during other significant idle periods. A controller or software application requests a pause
expected to last for a specified time. In response, the device reduces the power it uses by going to a predefined pause
mode, and letting the application know how much notice to give so the device will be ready when needed. Based on
the requested pause time, a device selects a pause mode that saves the most energy possible for the duration andcondition of the device. The lowest power level is the “sleeping” mode, where it effectively shuts down except forjust enough communications hardware capability to listen for a wake-up call.
Where the Power Management Object saves energy during idle periods, the Energy Management Object helps tosave energy and avoid demand peaks while production continues at a lower rate of energy consumption. The
Energy Management Object uses predefined curtailment levels to reduce power. Curtailment levels are similar infunction to pause modes, except the energy managing application requests a desired power level instead of theduration of a pause.
Both the Power Management and Energy Management objects act as servers to an energy management client
application. The client, which may in turn be a server itself to another higher level energy management client
application, needs to maintain awareness of the big-picture operational environment to manage the energy behavior
of its owned devices using services defined in the object specifications.
A real-world system could combine devices and applications with many different capabilities. The diagram below
illustrates an example.

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EnergyManagement C
Application

A Energy awareness object(s)C Client application
A P E
Controller
C

A P
1. CIP device with
Awareness andPower Mgmt
Capabilities

E Energy Management Object
P Power Management Object

A P E

P
2. CIP device withPower
Management
Capabilities

3. Non-CIP device

4. CIP device will
all energy
capabilities

In this somewhat complex example, an energy management application serves as a client to a controller, which
supports the CIP awareness, power management and energy management capabilities as a server to the energy
management application. The controller in turn acts as a client to the devices below it in the architecture. The
controller could also act as aggregator, reporting total power and energy to the energy management application; as aproxy to devices that lack CIP awareness capabilities, and may need to control devices without CIP power or energy
management capabilities directly, by manipulating their inputs and outputs.
This example also demonstrates a need for a clear method for identifying energy capabilities of CIP devices. The
next section presents a possible method for classifying devices as to their energy capabilities.

Energy Profiles
In the CIP specifications, Device Profiles are used to “provide interoperability and promote interchangeability 1”
among similar devices from different suppliers. A device profile defines required and optional objects, behaviors,
format of I/O data, configuration parameters, etc. A device profile is associated on a one-to-one basis with aparticular device type.
The CIP Energy Object family has been developed to allow many types of devices to become “energy capable” in astandardized way. Devices such as AC Drives, circuit breakers, motor starters, motor overloads, soft starters, servo
drives, programmable controllers and other devices can be made more valuable by adding energy capabilities.
Energy is a horizontal capability that cuts across many, many device types, so creating an exclusive “energy” device
type just wouldn’t make sense.
A particular device may combine energy awareness and energy efficiency capabilities by supporting instances of theBase Energy Object, an Electrical or Non-Electrical Energy Object, and the Power Management and/or Energy
Management Objects. An energy profile is a way to easily identify energy capabilities that are implemented in a
device.

1

Chapter 6, Device Profiles

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An energy profile is a new concept that promotes similar interoperability and predictability of behavior but is not
exclusive to a device type. Like the device type, an energy profile defines energy and power related objects, services
and behaviors which are implemented in an energy-capable device. An energy profile could also help meet
application needs by requiring the implementation of certain optional attributes or services. An energy profile, in
addition, could form the basis for conformance testing of energy-capable devices and provide a medium for
documenting informative application considerations (e.g. “Tips and Tricks” or usage guides).
In addition the Identity Object could be augmented to include an energy profile attribute, similar to the Device Type
attribute that references a Device Profile.

CIP Energy Identification
The energy profiles presented in this white paper are offered as a possible basis for “energy identification” of CIP
energy-capable devices. An idea for identification could be an image of an old-fashioned kilowatt-hour meter:

A00

Pn

En

G

In this concept, the four dials would indicate, left to right, Awareness, Power Management, Energy Management,
and Smart Grid support (Smart Grid support is a future Optimization of Energy Usage project).
The subscripts could have the following meanings:• A – Awarenesso First subscript character 0 = Generic 1 = Electrical 2 = Non-Electricalo Second subscript character 0 = Energy Measured 1 = Energy Derived
 2 = Energy Proxy 3 = Energy Aggregated 4 = Energy Rate Fixed 5 = Non-Electrical Aggregated•P – Power Managemento n = No Sleeping Mode support
o s = Sleeping Mode Support•

E – Energy Managemento n = Curtailment Levels are modifiableo p = Curtailment Levels are protected from modification•

G – Smart Grid support (future)

This concept of “energy identification” for CIP energy-capable devices would provide general information on a
device’s energy capabilities. Further information could be provided in the Declaration of Conformity or vendor’s
documentation for each device.

What does “Energy Capable” really mean?
“Energy Capable” is a broad term that indicates that a device supports some implementation of one or more energy
related CIP objects. Within that broad classification there are myriad details that further define what capabilities are2014 ODVA Industry Conference
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supported, what attributes a device supports, and how it would be expected to behave. Energy profiles could be used
to help classify devices according to their detailed energy capabilities. A number of examples of energy capabledevices are listed here, ordered roughly from simple to complex.
•

Simple energy aware devices – An example of this type of device is a power supply with communications
but without the ability to measure power and energy. The device reports a value of power when it is turnedon (e.g. 5 kW). When powered off, the device no longer communicates, so its power can be assumed to be
zero. The energy object instance in this type of device may be implemented only in the device’s
communication firmware rather than in its base firmware. This type of device reports only power values,
which its client needs to integrate over time to obtain energy usage data. This type of device could becharacterized as follows:
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy Fixed
Energy Odometers

Supported?
Yes
Yes
No

Energy Transfer Rate

Yes

Energy Accuracy = undefined

Yes

Comments

Reports one or more nominal or user-defined power
values that remain steady when in an operating stateand change infrequently relative to the rate at which
the data is read from the instance.
Power in kW; required since odometer is not
implemented.
Power value is estimated, not measured. This typeof device should not be included in a collection to
be aggregated.

The CIP energy identifier for this example (using the model described above) would be:

A04•

Power and energy measurement devices – Devices in this classification are able to measure voltage andcurrent, calculate their power value, and integrate power over time into energy. Some devices in thiscategory can be very accurate, but it’s not a necessity. Examples of this category of devices may include
power monitors, AC drives and soft-start motor controllers. These devices could be characterized asfollows:
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy Measured
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Optional

Accuracy

Yes

Electrical Energy Object

Optional

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Comments

Required for devices capable of measuring energy
Power in kW; optional since the odometer isimplemented.
May be very accurate, even revenue grade (powermonitor). AC drives and similar devices may be lessaccurate.
(Implemented in this example) Provides electricalvalues in addition to power and energy, e.g. volts,
amps, frequency, etc. Support of the Electrical
Energy Object is desirable in any device that
supports the Energy Measured capability.

©2014 ODVA, Inc.

•

Devices that derive energy from other data – These devices use available data to provide an estimate ofenergy usage. The Energy Derived capability offers device vendors the ability to creatively apply energy
capabilities to existing devices with minimal changes. An example is a motor overload relay that measures
motor current in order to protect the motor. Such a device can calculate energy usage using the measured
current, an estimated motor voltage, and power factor obtained from a representation of the motor
characteristic curve. The table below characterizes this example.
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy Derived
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Optional

Accuracy - estimatedYes

Electrical Energy Object

Optional

Comments

Required for devices capable of deriving energy
Power in kW; optional since the odometer isimplemented.
Determined empirically; may be in the range of 5 to
15%
Provide electrical values in addition to power andenergy, e.g. volts, amps, frequency, etc.

A01•

Proxy devices that represent non-CIP devices – A proxy device will typically be a fairly capable CIP
device such as a programmable controller 2 or MODBUS translator, with the ability to monitor the status of
inputs and outputs and compute power and energy associated with those signals. Many examples of proxyapplications can be imagined. This example uses a programmable controller with a discrete output that
controls a 100 HP across-the-line starter and analog inputs that reflects the pressure and flow generated by
the controlled motor and pump (the proxied device). The controller computes power and energy based on
the state of the inputs and a stored model of the pump that relates pressure and flow to energy usage. This
example is characterized in the following table.
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy Proxy
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Optional

Accuracy

Yes

Electrical Energy Object

Optional

Non-Electrical Energy Object

Optional

Comments

Required for proxy devices
Power in kW; optional since odometer isimplemented.
Estimated accuracy is determined empirically; may
be in the range of 10 to 25%
It is unlikely that a proxy device would haveenough awareness of its proxied device to populate
data in an Electrical Energy Object
Not used in this example, however, could be useful

2

Application of energy profiles to programmable controllers or other highly configurable devices could present
special challenges as the implementation of energy capabilities may depend significantly upon user configuration
and/or programming.

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Object / Capability

Supported?

Comments
when the proxied device uses non-electricalenergy.

A02•

Devices that provide energy data and can be power managed - Devices that combine energy capabilities
provide additional value to the machine builder and end user. The Power Management Object assists in
reducing energy usage during idle periods, and the device’s energy awareness capabilities help confirm thereduction. As an example, let’s consider an AC drive, characterized as follows:
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy Measured
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Optional

Accuracy - nominal
Electrical Energy Object
Power Management Object
Pause Modes

Yes
Optional
Yes
Yes

Sleeping State

Optional

A11•

Comments

RequiredPower in kW; optional since the odometer isimplemented.
Calculated; may be in the range of 5 to 15%(Implemented in this example)
2 modes likely:• not paused (controlled by application)• paused (drive stopped but still poweredup)
Additional hardware likely needed• Ethernet PHY• Line contactor

Pn

Devices that aggregate energy usage of a collection of devices – An energy aggregator presents a
consolidated value of energy usage of a collection of devices. An electric meter installed at the incoming
power terminals of a machine naturally aggregates the energy used by the machine components. Likewise,a Base Energy Object instance at the machine level can provide similar aggregated usage data without thecost of a meter. The Base Energy Object goes into some detail on aggregation and its applicationconsiderations. The important functions of an aggregator are:o Periodically monitor the values of energy odometers in the collection of devices and combinesthem into an independent aggregated energy odometero Correct for discrepancies in the data obtained from the “child” devices in the collection, forexample, a rollover or reset of a child device’s energy odometer.
o Calculate the nominal accuracy of the aggregated energy usage (this is made more difficult if childdevices report “undefined” accuracy)
An energy aggregator may be characterized as follows:
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy
Aggregated2014 ODVA Industry Conference

Supported?
Yes
Yes
8

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Object / Capability
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Optional

Accuracy - nominal

Yes

Electrical Energy Object

Unlikely

Comments
RequiredPower in kW; optional since the odometer isimplemented.
Calculated; based on accuracy of child devices andtheir contribution to the total
Electrical values other than energy and power don’t
lend themselves to aggregation.

A03•

Devices that allow energy management of a machine or line – The final example combines the energy
aggregator with an energy management proxy capability. Imagine an OEM machine using a programmablecontroller where the controller serves as an energy aggregator, reporting the consolidated energy usage ofthe machine in a Base Energy Object. The machine could comprise a collection of CIP and non-CIP
devices and be managed by a controller which hosts an instance of the Energy Management Object that
permits an energy manager application to command the machine to curtailment levels and thereby reduceenergy usage.
The machine builder, during machine design or commissioning, defines curtailment levels and saves themonce the machine is in operation by setting a capability attribute value. The machine controller could also
implement the Power Management Object to further reduce energy consumed during idle periods. The
aggregated energy value provided by the Base Energy Object can be utilized to verify the energy
performance of a machine. This example is characterized in the table below.
Object / Capability
Base Energy Object
Capabilities – Energy
Aggregated
Energy Odometers
Energy Transfer Rate

Supported?
Yes
Yes

Comments

Yes
Optional

Accuracy - nominal

Yes

RequiredPower in kW; optional since the odometer isimplemented.
Calculated; based on accuracy of child devices andtheir contribution to the total

Energy Management Object
Capabilities = Protected
Curtailment Levels
Power Up Curtailment Level

Yes
Yes
Yes
Optional

Power Management Object

Optional

Protected from modification
As defined by the machine builder
Uncurtailed or Last Level as defined by themachine builder
As defined by the machine builder

Pn

A03

Ep

The examples described above are not meant to be a comprehensive list of the possibilities. They are intended to
provoke thought and form the basis for further discussion.

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Declaration of Conformity (DoC)
If energy profiles are adopted as a way to coordinate and describe the energy capabilities of devices, they could also
be used effectively to categorize energy capabilities in a device’s DoC. The DoC could include the energy
identification symbol and add a section that would provide additional detail on the energy related objects supported
by a device or family of devices.

Conclusions
The Energy SIG is promoting and working toward a concept of Energy Profiles as a method to coordinate theapplication of various energy-related CIP objects. Energy Profiles would provide a simple and effective means tocommunicate a device’s energy capabilities for vendors, machine builders, solution providers and end users. Energy
Profiles could reduce the effort needed to ensure that devices deployed in an application possess the neededcapabilities. Energy Profiles would promote interoperability and interchangeability among vendors, and make iteasier to experience the benefits of more detailed energy information and more cost-effective energy management.

References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Base Energy Object, CIP Specification, Volume 1, Section 5-51
Electrical Energy Object, CIP Specification, Volume 1, Section 5-52
Non-electrical Energy Object, CIP Specification, Volume 1, Section 5-53
Power Management Object, CIP Specification, Volume 1, Section 5-54
Power Management Object, EtherNet/IP™ Specification, Volume 2, Section 5-10**************************************************************************************The ideas, opinions, and recommendations expressed herein are intended to describe concepts of the author(s) for the possible use of CIP
Networks and do not reflect the ideas, opinions, and recommendation of ODVA per se. Because CIP Networks may be applied in many diverse
situations and in conjunction with products and systems from multiple vendors, the reader and those responsible for specifying CIP
Networks must determine for themselves the suitability and the suitability of ideas, opinions, and recommendations expressed herein for intended
use. Copyright ©2014 ODVA, Inc. All rights reserved. For permission to reproduce excerpts of this material, with appropriate attribution to theauthor(s), please contact ODVA on: TEL +1 734-975-8840 FAX +1 734-922-0027 EMAIL odva@odva.org WEB www.odva.org.
CIP, Common Industrial Protocol, CIP Energy, CIP Motion, CIP Safety, CIP Sync, CompoNet, ControlNet, DeviceNet, and EtherNet/IP aretrademarks of ODVA, Inc. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

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