EMAIL INTERVIEW - David Oshoway & Ken Sinclair

The Multi Protocol Router

The Router converts the disparate protocols and raises them to XML and serves out control pages using TCP/IP protocol. Many services such as trending, alarming, security, webpage design and many others are part of the onboard tool box. 

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Sinclair:  In the past what was your relationship with Richards-Zeta? 

Oshoway:  Energetic Concepts has been a Canadian distributor for Richards-Zeta control systems for approximately 12 years. We have been working with the multi protocol router since its inception in 2001.

Sinclair:  Since Cisco Systems has acquired Richards-Zeta what will that mean to your company? 

Oshoway:  We are now a Cisco Systems partner recognized as a Technical Specialist. We are authorized to purchase, program, install and Integrate the Cisco Building Network Multi protocol router or Mediator. We expect to grow over the next several years.

Sinclair:  What does the Multi protocol router do? 

Oshoway:  The Multi protocol router brings disparate protocols from the building systems world into the IT world. It is also a control web server using standard browsers to control and offers many other services. It allows us to interface BacNet, LonWorks, Modbus and many other protocols. It then converts the disparate protocols and raises them to XML and serves out control pages using TCPIP protocol. Many services such as trending, alarming, security, webpage design and many others are part of the onboard tool box. 

Sinclair:  What is your vision of its primary use? 

Oshoway:  Energetic Concepts has a very broad vision of the multi protocol router. It primarily can be used for Demand Side management of systems resources as well as hosting buildings with many different systems and providing remote access. However, we see it on the supply side managing staging of power production as well sending control signals to the demand side to limit demand in a granular fashion that will cause an aggregate lessening of the supply side requirement.

Sinclair:  What is your vision of a smart grid? 

Oshoway:  The smart grid will come in many forms from smart meters to smart appliances. Even electric vehicle charging will present problems if it is not managed. I can best explain the smart grid by providing a short you-tube video that we have produced.

Sinclair:  How will it influence utility companies carbon foot print? 

Oshoway:  In this broader vision of smart grid we believe the utility companies will find it attractive to offer incentives to the demand side consumers to install multi protocol routers if they contract to curtail their demand on supply side signaling. Furthermore we see the multi protocol router as a continental network of control beginning to stage power production based on renewable energy when available, then hydroelectric, nuclear and finally non renewable fuels.

Sinclair:  How will it influence carbon foot print? 

Oshoway:  The consumer lowers their carbon footprint by load shedding because of incentives. The aggregate of all these buildings shedding a minor portion of their load, plus the lowered requirement for non renewable resources for power generation, creates a large reduction in carbon footprint. Less generation is required to service the growing load and valuable non renewable resources are saved.  

Sinclair:  Who will want it? 

Oshoway:  When the utility companies buy into the multi protocol router incentive program it will be attractive for commercial, institutional and industrial clients as their curtailment will earn them lower rates as well as reduce their consumption and demand penalties. 

Sinclair:  Will the multi protocol router become a mass market product? 

Oshoway:  I believe so. But unlike standard routers off the shelf it requires a different kind of setup. Expertise and experience in building systems as well as web  world experience is required to become proficient. It is also labor intensive. Hopefully the utility companies will see the value in the aggregate reduction of consumption and offer incentives like they do with efficient lighting to persuade their commercial, institutional and industrial clients to participate. Perhaps there will be government “Blue technology” awards and incentives as well to encourage corporations to “do the right thing”.

[an error occurred while processing this directive] Sinclair:  Do you think a vision this large is possible? 

Oshoway:  I believe it will be a continental paradigm shift for power producers as well as their clients.

Sinclair:  What do you see as your company’s part in this? 

Oshoway:  Energetic Concepts will be involved in engineering and backside operations to bring the integration of building systems to the enterprise level. Although multi protocol routers with web services will be the backbone of the Smart Grid operations there is still a lot of backside management to implement to get the idea to reality.  

Sinclair:  What is backside management? 

Oshoway:  Backside management is the actual interfacing of other building systems into the multi protocol router so that metering, tracking and load shedding, alarming, trending and remote control will be possible to provide the curtailment of load the utilities will require. 

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