In recent years, with the rapid development of renewable energy and advancements in energy storage technology, distributed energy systems have become more widely integrated into societal production and everyday life. However, renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power are heavily influenced by weather and their inherent physical characteristics, making them intermittent and variable, leading to unstable power generation. As a result, balancing and improving the efficiency of distributed energy has become critical, highlighting the importance of Energy Management Systems (EMS) in energy storage. EMS functions as the “central nervous system” of the energy storage system，just as the human central nervous system transmits chemical and electrical signals to coordinate various organs, EMS sends control instructions to manage devices and system operation.

To begin with, EMS, as the core technology of an energy storage system, primarily provides the following functions:

1. Data Collection and Monitoring

• Comprehensive Data Collection：EMS collects real-time operating data from various equipment within the energy storage system, including battery voltage, current, temperature and State of Charge (SOC), along with information from Power Conversion Systems (PCS), meters, air conditioning, fire fighting system， and various sensors. This ensures a full understanding of the system's real-time operating conditions.  
• Centralized Monitoring and Display：EMS processes and visualizes key information such as charge/discharge levels, real-time power, battery status, and economic performance, providing users with an intuitive interface for system monitoring and enabling them to view overall operational conditions anytime.

2. Energy Management and Optimization

• Charge/Discharge Strategy Development: EMS automatically adjusts the output of distributed power sources based on real-time energy prices, grid load, and user demand to establish a reasonable battery charge/discharge strategy.
• Operational Efficiency Optimization: By collecting and analyzing performance data, EMS identifies bottlenecks and inefficiencies in the energy system, allowing for operational improvements, parameter adjustments or layout modifications to enhance efficiency and reduce operational costs.  
• Forecasting and Decision Support: Using advanced algorithms and big data technology, EMS forecasts future energy demand based on historical data, helping decision-makers develop more efficient, low-cost energy management strategies that yield high returns.

3. Fault Diagnosis and Management

• EMS monitors battery and system anomalies in real time, issuing alerts and taking protective measures, such as isolating faulty equipment or activating backup systems to prevent issue escalation and ensure safe system operation. Fault diagnosis and analysis also aid in maintenance and repair planning.

4. Economic Benefit Analysis and Evaluation

• EMS calculates the system's operational costs and benefits in real time, including electricity expenses, equipment investment, maintenance costs and revenue from peak-load shifting, demand response, etc. This helps users clearly understand the system's economic performance and supports their decision-making.

5. Ancillary Services

• EMS exchanges information with the grid, responding to grid dispatch commands and participating in ancillary services like peak and frequency regulation and demand response, thus supporting grid stability. EMS adjusts the operation and power output of industrial and commercial energy storage systems based on grid conditions, ensuring seamless integration.

On the premise of meeting the above functions, When evaluating different EMS products, users should consider the following criteria:

1. Stable Operation, Safe and Reliable Performance

• The system should include power quality monitoring, anti-islanding, anti-reverse flow protection, control and monitoring devices, and other components to ensure safe, stable operation.

2. Fast Installation , Multiple Integration

• As the“central nervous system”of the system, EMS must interface with multiple devices, including BMS, PCS, meters, air conditioning, fire fighting system, circuit breakers, indicators, and various sensors. It should support various protocols, enabling full data access from all control devices, especially the real-time integration of alarm signals, which requires high EMS data collection performance.

3. Flexible Expansion，Intelligent Strategy

• Given the dispersed nature of distributed energy storage systems, currently, energy storage devices mostly use standard storage cabinets, like modular building blocks. To meet different energy demands, a varying number of storage cabinets are needed for expansion. EMS must have a flexible expansion capability to accommodate varying numbers of storage cabinets according to energy demands. Additionally, EMS should enable multi-dimensional data analysis and intelligent strategy control to meet diverse needs in economic cost analysis.

4. Cloud-Edge Collaboration

• With the increasing adoption of smart technologies, the cloud platform has emerged as a remote management and big data analysis platform for energy storage systems, enabling centralized monitoring and management of multiple energy storage sites to achieve broader and smarter energy optimization and management. EMS must enable two-way data flow between storage and cloud platforms, ensuring safe, coordinated cloud-edge operations.

Figure 1 ViStarter EMS

With 16 years of accumulated experience in energy storage, Vilion's core R&D team developed the ViStarter EMS with a focus on the needs of industrial and commercial storage applications. This system enables data collection, processing, querying, analysis, visualization, real-time monitoring, event alerts, fault prediction, strategy optimization, and revenue analysis. ViStarter EMS supports local control, data exchange with upper-level grid dispatch, and cloud platform integration, enabling remote monitoring and maintenance.

Currently, Vilion's ViStarter EMS, as an independent product, has provided high-quality energy storage solutions to customers in China, Europe, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Vilion remains committed to R&D investment, integrating battery storage products with intelligent energy management technology to continuously develop superior products and services that create greater value for customers.