SYSTEMS, METHODS, AND DEVICES FOR MANAGING EMERGENCY POWER SUPPLY SYSTEMS

• US 20080313006A1
• Filed: 06/20/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Blue Pillar, Inc. (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Witter, Bradley Jay, Butler, Thomas Joseph, Reichel, Eric D., Scoufis, Joseph J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,359,248 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G01F 13/006 measuring volume in function of time
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/10 Complex mathematical operations function generation by table look-up G06F1/03; evaluation of elementary functions by calculation G06F7/544
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/86 Performing a diagnostic of the sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to systems and methods for managing and monitoring a plurality of emergency power supply systems (EPSS'"'"'s) at a facility via an emergency power management system (EPMS). The EPMS generally comprises EPSS equipment, a management computer system for managing, monitoring, and testing the operational characteristics of the EPSS equipment, and a plurality of interface modules for providing unified communication capabilities between the management computer system and the EPSS equipment. Additional aspects relate to methods for easily and efficiently creating and installing an EPMS at a facility. Further aspects are directed to providing predictive analyses related to the EPSS equipment. Also, aspects of the present disclosure relate to normalizing EPSS equipment information across varying vendors, makes, and models of equipment so as to provide a unified view of all equipment across a given facility.

Claims

1. A method for configuring one or more pre-existing emergency power supply systems (EPSS'"'"'s) distributed amongst one or more locations within a site to provide an emergency power management system (EPMS), the EPMS comprising a management computer system for managing operational characteristics of the EPMS, comprising the steps of

receiving EPSS inventory information input by an operator, the EPSS inventory information including information corresponding to properties of one or more items of EPSS equipment that are physically present in the one or more locations within the site, and

storing the EPSS inventory information for the one or more items of EPSS equipment in one or more databases to define one or more inventoried EPSS'"'"'s;

processing the stored EPSS inventory information via business rules engine software according to one or more predefined business rules to generate;

(a) a bill of materials for EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment required for enabling collection of EPSS operational data from the one or more items of inventoried EPSS equipment; and

(b) one or more order documents for installing the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials at the site;

installing the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment on or around the one or more items of inventoried EPSS equipment according to the one or more order documents; and

installing one or more interface modules at the site for operatively connecting the installed data acquisition equipment to the management computer system, wherein the one or more interface modules provide a communication link between the management computer system and the inventoried EPSS'"'"'s to provide a configured EPMS.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more order documents comprise engineering schematics for use by installation personnel, the engineering schematics comprising connection information between the one or more items of inventoried EPSS equipment, the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment, and the management computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more order documents comprise a configuration file for configuring management software to enable the management computer system to operate with the data acquisition equipment.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the configuration file comprises an extensible markup language (XML) file including computer-readable instructions for configuring the EPMS at the site.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the management software comprises supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more order documents comprise one or more vendor orders for purchase of the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials from one or more vendors.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the management computer system further includes an accounting system for tracking purchases of the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the one or more vendors.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more order documents comprise a project plan describing timelines and tasks associated with installing and configuring the EPMS at the site.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically communicating the one or more order documents to installation personnel for installing the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment at the site to make operative the EPMS.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the business rules engine software further generates a price quote for configuring the EPMS at the site.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operator physically identifies and records the EPSS inventory information from the one or more EPSS'"'"'s associated with the site.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the EPSS inventory information is gathered by the operator via a portable data collection device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the properties of the one or more items of EPSS equipment comprise an equipment manufacturer, equipment model, and one or more rated values for each item of EPSS equipment.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the properties of the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprise specific physical attributes of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that dictate specific EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment required for configuring the EPMS.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the properties of the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprise a physical position indicative of suitability for installation of one or more items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment on or around the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the management computer system further includes one or more servers for carrying out processing operations of the management computer system.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are selected from the group comprising:

generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS'"'"'s), switchgear, fuel supplies, and fuel management systems.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are preconfigured to include one or more items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a user of the EPMS to view stored EPSS inventory information associated with the site via an online portal.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the data acquisition equipment is selected from the group comprising:

monitoring sensors, connectors required by particular types of monitoring sensors, power supplies, fuel gauges, power meters, gauges, status indicators, viewing cameras, microphones, vibration sensors, inertial sensors, motion sensors, actuation components, solenoids, and relays.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the monitoring sensors are selected from the group comprising:

thermocouples, resistive temperature detectors (RTDs), pressure senders, current transformers (CTs), and limit switches.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the EPMS hardware is selected from the group comprising:

mounting racks, mounting hardware, and communication links.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the communication links are selected from the group comprising:

cables, fiber optics, wiring, and wireless equipment.

2. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the one or more order documents comprise one or more work orders detailing work required to install the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials at the site.

25. A method for configuring one or more pre-existing emergency power supply systems (EPSS'"'"'s) distributed amongst one or more locations within a site to provide an electronically-monitored emergency power management system (EPMS), the electronically-monitored EPMS including the one or more EPSS'"'"'s, a management computer system for managing operational characteristics of the EPMS with automatically configurable management software, and EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment for operatively connecting the management computer system to the one or more EPSS'"'"'s, comprising the steps of:

receiving EPSS inventory information input by an operator, the EPSS inventory information including information corresponding to;

(a) properties of one or more items of EPSS equipment that are physically present in the one or more locations within the site, and

(b) a position indicative of suitability for installation of one or more items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment on or around the one or more items of EPSS equipment;

storing the EPSS inventory information for the one or more items of EPSS equipment in one or more databases to define one or more inventoried EPSS'"'"'s;

receiving site information input by an operator identifying the site that includes the one or more EPSS'"'"'s and their corresponding items of EPSS equipment in corresponding locations;

associating the identified site with the one or more inventoried EPSS'"'"'s;

automatically;

(a) generating a bill of materials for the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment required for configuring the EPMS for the identified site based on the EPSS inventory information;

(b) generating one or more work orders for work required to install the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials to configure the EPMS at the identified site;

(c) creating engineering schematics for use by installation personnel for installing the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials at the identified site, the engineering schematics comprising connection instructions between the one or more inventoried items of EPSS equipment, the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment, and the management computer system; and

(d) configuring the management software with automatically-generated software configuration information to enable the management computer system to operate with the data acquisition equipment;

whereby the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment are acquired and installed by the installation personnel in accordance with the work orders and the engineering schematics, the management software is configured, and the EPMS is activated to provide the electronically-monitored EPMS.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the operator physically identifies and records the EPSS inventory information from the one or more EPSS'"'"'s associated with the identified site.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the EPSS inventory information is gathered by the operator via a portable data collection device.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the properties of the one or more items of EPSS equipment comprise an equipment manufacturer, equipment model, and one or more rated values for each item of EPSS equipment.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the properties of the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprise specific physical attributes of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that dictate specific EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment required for configuring the EPMS.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of automatically communicating the one or more work orders to the installation personnel.

31. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of installing one or more interface modules at the identified site for operatively connecting the data acquisition equipment to the management computer system to enable signal communication between the data acquisition equipment and the management computer system.

32. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of automatically generating one or more vendor orders for purchase of the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the bill of materials from one or more vendors.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the management computer system further includes an accounting system for tracking purchases of the EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment from the one or more vendors.

34. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of automatically generating a price quote for configuring the EPMS.

35. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of automatically creating a project plan describing timelines and tasks associated with installing and configuring the EPMS at the identified site.

36. The method of claim 25, wherein the automatically-generated software configuration information comprises an extensible markup language (XML) file including computer-readable instructions for configuring the EPMS at the identified site.

37. The method of claim 25, wherein the management computer system further includes one or more servers for carrying out processing operations of the management computer system.

38. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are selected from the group comprising:

generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS'"'"'s), switchgear, fuel supplies, and fuel management systems.

39. The method of claim 25, wherein the position indicative of suitability for installation of particular items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment comprises the physical position of the particular items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment on or around the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

40. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are preconfigured to include one or more items of EPMS hardware and data acquisition equipment.

41. The method of claim 25, further comprising the step of enabling a user of the EPMS to view EPSS inventory information associated with the identified site via an online portal.

42. The method of claim 25, wherein the data acquisition equipment is selected from the group comprising:

monitoring sensors, connectors required by particular types of monitoring sensors, power supplies, fuel gauges, power meters, gauges, status indicators, viewing cameras, microphones, vibration sensors, inertial sensors, motion sensors, actuation components, solenoids, and relays.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the monitoring sensors are selected from the group comprising:

thermocouples, resistive temperature detectors (RTDs), pressure senders, current transformers (CTs), and limit switches.

44. The method of claim 25, wherein the EPMS hardware is selected from the group comprising:

mounting racks, mounting hardware, and communication links.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the communication links are selected from the group comprising:

cables, fiber optics, wiring, and wireless equipment.

46. The method of claim 25, wherein the management software comprises supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software.

47. An emergency power management system (EPMS) for managing one or more pre-existing emergency power supply systems (EPSS'"'"'s) at a site, comprising:

a plurality of items of data acquisition equipment for collecting EPSS operational information from one or more items of EPSS equipment at the site, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are manufactured by one or more manufacturers;

one or more interface modules operatively connected to the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment for receiving the collected EPSS operational information from the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment, wherein the one or more interface modules also normalize the EPSS operational information for subsequent processing; and

a management computer system operatively connected to the one or more interface modules for receiving the normalized EPSS operational information from the one or more interface modules and storing the normalized EPSS operational information in one or more databases, wherein the management computer system includes automatically configurable management software for processing the normalized EPSS operational information into an interactive display and presenting the interactive display to a user via a user interface;

whereby the user utilizes the interactive display of the normalized EPSS operational information to manage the one or more items of EPSS equipment at the site.

48. The system of claim 47, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment comprise a plurality of predefined EPSS'"'"'s at a facility.

49. The system of claim 47, wherein the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment are selected from the group comprising:

monitoring sensors, connectors required by particular types of monitoring sensors, power supplies, fuel gauges, power meters, gauges, status indicators, viewing cameras, microphones, vibration sensors, inertial sensors, motion sensors, actuation components, solenoids, and relays.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the monitoring sensors are selected from the group comprising:

thermocouples, resistive temperature detectors (RTDs), pressure senders, current transformers (CTs), and limit switches.

51. The system of claim 47, wherein the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment are physically installed on the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

52. The system of claim 47, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are preconfigured to include one or more of the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment.

53. The system of claim 47, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are selected from the group comprising:

generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS'"'"'s), switchgear, fuel supplies, and fuel management systems.

54. The system of claim 53, wherein the EPSS operational information for each generator within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

jacket water temperature, exhaust temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature, battery charging voltage, battery charging current, engine running status, engine “

not in auto”

status, engine runtime, engine speed, generator power, rated load, generator power factor, percent generator capacity, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, generator frequency, and applied torque.

55. The system of claim 53, wherein the EPSS operational information for each ATS within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

emergency power, emergency power factor, emergency frequency, emergency three-phase voltage, emergency three-phase current, emergency average current, emergency power hours, normal power, normal power factor, normal frequency, normal three-phase voltage, normal three-phase current, normal average current, normal power hours, emergency power status, normal power status, emergency breaker status, and normal breaker status.

56. The system of claim 53, wherein the EPSS operational information for each fuel supply within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

fuel level, fuel supply status, and exit fuel flow rate.

57. The system of claim 47, wherein each of the one or more interface modules includes a microprocessor, memory, communication bus, one or more data inputs, one or more data outputs, and interface module software for carrying out the functions of receiving, normalizing, and transmitting EPSS operational information from the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment to the management computer system.

58. The system of claim 47, wherein at least one of the one or more interface modules comprises a remote terminal unit (RTU).

59. The system of claim 47, wherein at least one of the one or more interface modules comprises a programmable logic controller (PLC).

60. The system of claim 47, wherein each of the one or more interface modules includes a firewall for preventing unauthorized access to the one or more items of EPSS equipment, the management computer system, and the EPSS operational information.

61. The system of claim 47, wherein the management computer system further includes one or more servers for operating the automatically configurable management software.

62. The system of claim 47, wherein the management computer system logs historical EPSS operational information in the one or more databases for providing operational trends of the one or more items of EPSS equipment over time.

63. The system of claim 47, wherein the automatically configurable management software comprises supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software.

64. The system of claim 47, wherein the user interface is displayed on a computer screen.

65. The system of claim 47, wherein the interactive display that is displayed to the user via the user interface comprises a chart or graph of one or more items of EPSS operational information over a predefined time period.

66. The system of claim 47, wherein the interactive display that is displayed to the user via the user interface comprises one or more visual pictures of the one or more items of EPSS equipment for visually monitoring the EPSS equipment at the site.

67. The system of claim 47, wherein the interactive display that is displayed to the user via the user interface comprises an interactive map view of the one or more items of EPSS equipment for enabling a site-wide view of the pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s at the site.

68. The system of claim 47, wherein the interactive display that is displayed to the user via the user interface comprises a report detailing specific normalized EPSS operational information for one or more selected items of EPSS equipment for a predetermined time period.

69. The system of claim 47, wherein the interactive display that is displayed to the user via the user interface comprises an electrical one-line view of power connections of the one or more items of EPSS equipment at the site to utility power or emergency power.

70. The system of claim 47, wherein the user interface displays an alarm to the user when one or more predefined conditions related to the EPSS operational information are satisfied.

71. The method of claim 70, wherein the one or more predefined conditions are selected from the group comprising:

one or more values of EPSS operational information exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more values of EPSS operational information falls below one or more predetermined values, and one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions.

72. The system of claim 47, wherein the user interface displays normalized EPSS operational information related to a power disruption event as the event is occurring.

73. The system of claim 72, wherein the power disruption event comprises a planned or unplanned loss of utility power.

74. The system of claim 47, wherein the management computer system provides user security to prevent unauthorized access to the EPMS.

75. A method for predicting an available run-time for one or more items of emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment based on one or more actual fuel consumption rates and an actual fuel level within a fuel tank supplying the one or more items of EPSS equipment, comprising the steps of:

providing a management computer system that is coupled for data communications with the one or more items of EPSS equipment;

providing fuel metering equipment that is operatively connected to the one or more items of EPSS equipment and to the management computer system, wherein the fuel metering equipment records a fuel consumption rate for each item of EPSS equipment and transmits each fuel consumption rate to the management computer system;

monitoring the actual fuel level in the fuel tank;

when at least one item of EPSS equipment is running, receiving one or more actual fuel consumption rates at the management computer system from the fuel metering equipment for the at least one item of EPSS equipment;

calculating the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment based on the actual fuel level in the fuel tank and the one or more actual fuel consumption rates for the at least one item of EPSS equipment; and

displaying the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment to a user via a user interface.

76. The method of claim 75, wherein the step of calculating the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment comprises dividing the actual fuel level in the fuel tank by the one or more actual fuel consumption rates.

77. The method of claim 75, wherein the available run-time comprises the estimated time remaining until all fuel in the fuel tank will be used by the at least one item of EPSS equipment when the at least one item of EPSS equipment is running.

78. The method of claim 75, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are comprised of generators.

79. The method of claim 75, further comprising the steps of:

storing the actual fuel consumption rates for each item of EPSS equipment in a database within the management computer system;

determining the average fuel consumption rates for each item of EPSS equipment based on the stored actual fuel consumption rates over time;

under an assumption that all of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that are connected to the management computer system are running, calculating a total available run-time based on a combined average fuel consumption rate for all of the one or more items of EPSS equipment; and

displaying the total available run-time for all of the one or more items of EPSS equipment to the user via the user interface.

80. The method of claim 75, wherein the available run-time is continuously recalculated based on changing actual fuel consumption rates and the actual fuel level in the fuel tank.

81. The method of claim 75, wherein the fuel metering equipment comprises a fuel flow sensor.

82. The method of claim 75, further comprising the step of automatically ordering more fuel for the fuel tank when the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment falls below a predetermined value.

83. The method of claim 75, further comprising the step of providing one or more interface modules for facilitating the data communications between the fuel metering equipment and the management computer system.

84. A method for predicting an available run-time for one or more items of emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment based on previously-collected fuel consumption data and an actual fuel level within a fuel tank supplying the EPSS equipment, comprising the steps of:

providing a management computer system that is coupled for data communications with the one or more items of EPSS equipment;

during times of operation, receiving fuel consumption data at the management computer system from the one or more items of EPSS equipment as a function of a particular load being powered by each item of EPSS equipment;

storing the received fuel consumption data in a database within the management computer system;

determining a plurality of average fuel consumption rates for each item of EPSS equipment for varying loads based on the stored fuel consumption data;

monitoring the actual fuel level in the fuel tank;

when at least one item of EPSS equipment is running, receiving current load data at the management computer system for the at least one item of EPSS equipment;

calculating the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment based on the actual fuel level, the current load data, and the average fuel consumption rate for the at least one item of EPSS equipment corresponding to the current load data; and

displaying the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment to a user via a user interface.

85. The method of claim 84, wherein the step of calculating the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment comprises dividing the actual fuel level in the fuel tank by the average fuel consumption rate for the at least one item of EPSS equipment.

86. The method of claim 84, wherein the available run-time comprises the estimated time remaining until all fuel in the filet tank will be used by the at least one item of EPSS equipment when the at least one item of EPSS equipment is running.

87. The method of claim 84, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are comprised of generators.

88. The method of claim 84, wherein the fuel consumption data comprises actual filet consumption by the one or more items of EPSS equipment over time for the particular load.

89. The method of claim 84, further comprising the step of calculating a total available run-time based on an assumption that all of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that are connected to the management computer system are running and powering a total potential load.

90. The method of claim 84, wherein the available run-time is continuously recalculated based on changing load data and the actual fuel level.

91. The method of claim 84, further comprising the step of automatically ordering more fuel for the fuel tank when the available run-time for the at least one item of EPSS equipment falls below a predetermined value.

92. The method of claim 84, further comprising the step of providing one or more interface modules for facilitating the data communications between the one or more items of EPSS equipment and the management computer system.

93. An emergency power management system (EPMS) for providing predictive analyses related to one or more pre-existing emergency power supply systems (EPSS'"'"'s), comprising:

a plurality of items of data acquisition equipment for collecting EPSS operational information from one or more items of EPSS equipment, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are manufactured by one or more manufacturers;

one or more interface modules operatively connected to the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment for normalizing the EPSS operational information for subsequent processing;

a management computer system operatively connected to the one or more interface modules for receiving the normalized EPSS operational information from the one or more interface modules, the management computer system comprising automatically configurable management software for carrying out the computer-implemented steps of;

storing the normalized EPSS operational information in a database within the management computer system;

tracking one or more occurrences in the stored EPSS operational information over time for determining trends in the EPSS operational information; and

generating one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences based on the one or more tracked occurrences related to the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein the one or more occurrences that are tracked by the automatically configurable management software are predefined by a system user.

95. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more tracked occurrences in the stored EPSS operational information comprise dates of utility power outages.

96. The system of claim 95, wherein the one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences comprise one or more times of a year when utility power outages are more likely to occur.

97. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more tracked occurrences in the stored EPSS operational information comprise durations of utility power outages.

98. The system of claim 97, wherein the one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences comprise a typical length of a utility power outage.

99. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more tracked occurrences in the stored EPSS operational information comprise failures of particular manufacturer models of items of EPSS equipment.

100. The system of claim 99, wherein the one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences comprise average failure rates of the particular manufacturer models of the items of EPSS equipment.

101. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more tracked occurrences in the stored EPSS operational information comprise battery failures of the items of EPSS equipment.

102. The system of claim 101, wherein the one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences comprise average failure rates of batteries.

103. The system of claim 93, further comprising the step of displaying the one or more predictive reports to a system user via a user interface.

104. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more predictive reports for anticipated future occurrences includes one or more suggestions for preparing for future occurrences related to the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

105. The system of claim 93, wherein the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment are selected from the group comprising:

monitoring sensors, connectors required by particular types of monitoring sensors, power supplies, fuel gauges, power meters, gauges, status indicators, viewing cameras, microphones, vibration sensors, inertial sensors, motion sensors, actuation components, solenoids, and relays.

106. The system of claim 105, wherein the monitoring sensors are selected from the group comprising:

thermocouples, resistive temperature detectors (RTDs), pressure senders, current transformers (CTs), and limit switches.

107. The system of claim 93, wherein the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment are physically installed on the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

108. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are preconfigured to include one or more of the plurality of items of data acquisition equipment.

109. The system of claim 93, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment are selected from the group comprising:

generators, automatic transfer switches (ATS'"'"'s), switchgear, fuel supplies, and fuel management systems.

110. The system of claim 109, wherein the EPSS operational information for each generator within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

jacket water temperature, exhaust temperature, oil pressure, oil temperature, coolant temperature, battery charging voltage, battery charging current, engine running status, engine “

not in auto”

status, engine runtime, engine speed, generator power, rated load, generator power factor, percent generator capacity, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, generator frequency, and applied torque.

111. The system of claim 109, wherein the EPSS operational information for each ATS within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

emergency power, emergency power factor, emergency frequency, emergency three-phase voltage, emergency three-phase current, emergency average current, emergency power hours, normal power, normal power factor, normal frequency, normal three-phase voltage, normal three-phase current, normal average current, normal power hours, emergency power status, normal power status, emergency breaker status, and normal breaker status.

112. The system of claim 109, wherein the EPSS operational information for each fuel supply within the one or more pre-existing EPSS'"'"'s is selected from the group comprising:

fuel level, fuel supply status, and exit fuel flow rate.

113. The system of claim 93, wherein each of the one or more interface modules includes a firewall for preventing unauthorized access to the one or more items of EPSS equipment, the management computer system, and the EPSS operational information.

114. The system of claim 93, wherein the management computer system further includes one or more servers for operating the automatically configurable management software.

115. The system of claim 93, wherein the automatically configurable management software comprises supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software.

116. A method for testing emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment at a facility, wherein the EPSS equipment comprises at least one automatic transfer switch (ATS), and wherein the EPSS equipment is operatively connected to an EPSS management computer system for managing the EPSS equipment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a test initiation command at the EPSS management computer system for initiation of an automatic load test of one or more items of EPSS equipment, wherein the test initiation command is generated by a user via a graphical user interface (GUI), and wherein the test initiation command includes one or more testing parameters;

upon receipt of the test initiation command, the EPSS management computer system creating a data record for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that are subject to the automatic load test, wherein each data record includes EPSS testing data related to the automatic load test, and wherein each data record is stored in a database;

sending a test start command from the EPSS management computer system to an initiating ATS included in the one or more items of EPSS equipment to be tested to start the automatic load test as a function of the one or more testing parameters in the test initiation command, whereby the initiating ATS facilitates a transfer of electrical power to a portion of the facility from utility power to emergency power;

during the automatic load test, receiving the EPSS testing data from the one or more items of EPSS equipment and storing the received EPSS testing data in each respective data record for use in generating one or more test reports;

ending the automatic load test based upon the one or more testing parameters; and

whereby once the automatic load test has ended, power to the portion of the facility is transferred back to utility power and the one or more test reports are generated based on the stored data records.

117. The method of claim 116, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises at least one fuel supply and at least one fuel management system.

118. The method of claim 116, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises switchgear.

124. The method of claim 116, wherein the EPSS testing data that is received from the at least one ATS and stored in a corresponding ATS data record is selected from the group comprising:

date and time initiation command is received, test start date and time, date and time facility power is transferred from utility power to emergency power, time duration of transfer from utility power to emergency power, date and time facility power is transferred back from emergency power to utility power, time duration of transfer from emergency power to utility power, test end date and time, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, total current, rated current, percent of rated current, power factor, total power, facility load powered, frequency, and a percent of rated power for generators connected to the at least one ATS.

125. The method of claim 116, wherein the data record for the at least one ATS includes an ATS identifier, a test identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s being tested, the initiating ATS, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and a creation date and time of the data record.

126. The method of claim 116, wherein the test start command is sent from the EPSS management computer system to the initiating ATS through an interface module, wherein the interface module is operatively connected to the EPSS equipment for transmitting signals from the EPSS management computer system to the EPSS equipment to operate the EPSS equipment.

127. The method of claim 126, wherein the interface module receives EPSS testing data from the one or more items of EPSS equipment during the automatic load test and normalizes and transmits the EPSS testing data to the EPSS management computer system for use in generating the one or more test reports.

128. The method of claim 116, further comprising the steps of:

logging in a database a record of the ATS'"'"'s that have been used as initiating ATS'"'"'s for initiating automatic load tests during a predefined time period; and

providing the user with a suggested initiating ATS via the GUI corresponding to an ATS that has not been used as an initiating ATS during the predefined time period so as to ensure all ATS'"'"'s at the facility are tested during the time period.

129. The method of claim 116, further comprising the step of upon detection of an emergency event affecting the EPSS equipment at the facility, aborting the automatic load test.

130. The method of claim 116, further comprising the step of displaying live EPSS testing data to the user via the GUI as the automatic load test is occurring.

131. The method of claim 116, wherein the EPSS management computer system maintains a schedule of automatic load tests for running tests of the EPSS equipment according to a calendar of automatic load tests.

132. The method of claim 116, wherein the EPSS management computer system maintains a calendar of historical automatic load tests for viewing EPSS testing data related to past automatic load tests.

133. The method of claim 116, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more compliance reports for complying with regulatory testing requirements of the EPSS equipment.

134. The method of claim 133, further comprising the step of retrieving a beginning test data point, middle test data point, and ending test data point for the automatic load test from the EPSS testing data stored in the data records for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment for inclusion in the one or more compliance reports.

135. The method of claim 133, wherein the regulatory testing requirements are mandated by the Joint Commission and set by the National Fire Protection Agency.

136. The method of claim 116, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more operational reports listing one or more items from the EPSS testing data received during the automatic load test for a plurality of test data points for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

137. The method of claim 116, further comprising the step of providing an alarm to the user via the GUI when one or more predefined occurrences related to the EPSS equipment occurs during the automatic load test.

138. The method of claim 137, wherein the one or more predefined occurrences are selected from the group comprising:

one or more EPSS testing data values exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more EPSS testing data values falls below one or more predetermined values, one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions, and one or more items of EPSS equipment fails to operate.

148. The method of claim 138, wherein the test initiation signal is sent from the initiating ATS through an interface module to the EPSS management computer system, wherein the interface module is operatively connected to the EPSS equipment for communication with the EPSS equipment and the EPSS management computer system.

149. The method of claim 148, wherein the interface module receives EPSS testing data from the one or more items of EPSS equipment during the manual load test and normalizes and transmits the EPSS testing data to the EPSS management computer system for use in generating the one or more test reports.

119. The method of claim DM1, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises at least one generator.

120. The method of claim 119, wherein the EPSS testing data that is received from the at least one generator and stored in a corresponding generator data record is selected from the group comprising:

a test start date and time, test end date and time, time and date generator begins running, time and date generator stops running, total engine runtime, time duration of generator cooldown, oil pressure, coolant temperature, exhaust temperature, charging voltage, charging current, power, facility load powered, rated power, percent of rated power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, and frequency.

121. The method of claim 119, wherein the data record for the at least one generator includes a generator identifier, test identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s being tested, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and a creation date and time of the data record.

122. The method of claim 119, wherein the one or more testing parameters in the test initiation command are selected from the group comprising:

duration of the test, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, the initiating ATS, load test transfer time offset, and a designation that the at least one generator must provide emergency power equal to at least 30% of its rated load before test recording begins.

123. The method of claim 122, wherein the test type is selected from the group comprising:

one-time test, periodic test, and compliance test.

139. A method for testing emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment at a facility, wherein the EPSS equipment comprises at least one automatic transfer switch (ATS), and wherein the EPSS equipment is operatively connected to an EPSS management computer system for managing the EPSS equipment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a test initiation signal at the EPSS management computer system indicating that an initiating ATS has been manually activated by a person for initiation of a manual load test of at one or more items of EPSS equipment, whereby the initiating ATS facilitates transfer of electrical power to a portion of the facility from utility power to emergency power;

creating a data record for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment that are subject to the manual load test, wherein each data record includes EPSS testing data related to the manual load test, and wherein each data record is stored in a database; and

upon creation of the data records for the one or more items of EPSS equipment, receiving the EPSS testing data from the one or more items of EPSS equipment and storing the received EPSS testing data in each respective data record for use in generating one or more test reports;

whereby once the one or more items of EPSS equipment are manually deactivated by the person, the manual load test ends, power to the portion of the facility is transferred back to utility power, and one or more test reports are generated based on the stored data records.

140. The method of claim 139, wherein the initiating ATS is manually activated via a dry contact point at the initiating ATS.

141. The method of claim 139, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises at least one fuel supply and at least one fuel management system.

142. The method of claim 139, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises switchgear.

143. The method of claim 139, wherein the one or more items of EPSS equipment further comprises at least one generator.

144. The method of claim 143, wherein the EPSS testing data that is received from the at least one generator and stored in a corresponding generator data record is selected from the group comprising:

a test start date and time, test end date and time, time and date generator begins running, time and date generator stops running, total engine runtime, time duration of generator cooldown, oil pressure, coolant temperature, exhaust temperature, charging voltage, charging current, power, facility load powered, rated power, percent of rated power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, and frequency.

145. The method of claim 143, wherein the data record for the at least one generator includes a generator identifier, test identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s being tested, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and a creation date and time of the data record.

146. The method of claim 139, wherein the EPSS testing data that is received from the at least one ATS and stored in a corresponding ATS data record is selected from the group comprising:

date and time initiation signal is received, test start date and time, date and time facility power is transferred from utility power to emergency power, time duration of transfer from utility power to emergency power, date and time facility power is transferred back from emergency power to utility power, time duration of transfer from emergency power to utility power, test end date and time, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, total current, rated current, percent of rated current, power factor, total power, facility load powered, frequency, and a percent of rated power for generators connected to the at least one ATS.

147. The method of claim 139, wherein the data record for the at least one ATS further includes an ATS identifier, a test identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s being tested, the initiating ATS, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and a creation date and time of the data record.

150. The method of claim 139, further comprising the step of upon detection of an emergency event affecting the EPSS equipment at the facility, aborting the manual load test.

151. The method of claim 139, further comprising the step of displaying live EPSS testing data to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) as the manual load test is occurring.

152. The method of claim 139, wherein the EPSS management computer system maintains a calendar of historical manual load tests for viewing EPSS testing data related to past automatic manual tests.

153. The method of claim 139, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more compliance reports for complying with regulatory testing requirements of the EPSS equipment.

154. The method of claim 153, further comprising the step of retrieving a beginning test data point, middle test data point, and ending test data point for the manual load test from the EPSS testing data stored in the data records for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment for inclusion in the one or more compliance reports.

155. The method of claim 153, wherein the regulatory testing requirements are mandated by the Joint Commission and set by the National Fire Protection Agency.

156. The method of claim 139, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more operational reports listing one or more items from the EPSS testing data received during the manual load test for a plurality of test data points for each of the one or more items of EPSS equipment.

157. The method of claim 139, further comprising the step of providing an alarm to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) when one or more predefined occurrences related to the EPSS equipment occur during the manual load test.

158. The method of claim 157, wherein the one or more predefined occurrences are selected from the group comprising:

one or more EPSS testing data values exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more EPSS testing data values falls below one or more predetermined values, one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions, and one or more items of EPSS equipment falls to operate.

159. A method for testing emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment at a facility, wherein the EPSS equipment comprises at least one generator, and wherein the EPSS equipment is operatively connected to an EPSS management computer system for managing the EPSS equipment, comprising the steps of:

receiving a test initiation command at the EPSS management computer system for initiation of a no load test of at least one generator;

creating one or more data records for the at least one generator that is subject to the no load test, wherein the one or more data records include EPSS testing data related to the no load test, and wherein the one or more data records are stored in a database; and

upon creation of the one or more data records for the at least one generator and receipt of an indication that the at least one generator is running, receiving the EPSS testing data from the at least one generator and storing the received EPSS testing data in the one or more data records for use in generating one or more test reports;

whereby once the no load test has ended, the at least one generator is allowed to stop running and cool down, and the one or more test reports are generated based on the one or more stored data records.

160. The method of claim 159, wherein the test initiation command is generated by a user via a graphical user interface (GUI).

161. The method of claim 160, wherein the test initiation command includes one or more testing parameters.

162. The method of claim 160, wherein the one or more testing parameters in the test initiation command are selected from the group comprising:

duration of the test, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and an initiating generator.

163. The method of claim 162, wherein the test type is selected from the group comprising:

one-time test, periodic test, and compliance test.

164. The method of claim 160, wherein the test initiation command causes the EPSS management computer system to send a signal via an interface module to the at least one generator to startup and begin running, wherein the interface module is operatively connected to the EPSS equipment and the EPSS management computer system for communicating signals between the EPSS equipment and the management computer system.

165. The method of claim 164, wherein the interface module receives EPSS testing data from the at least one generator during the no load test and normalizes and transmits the EPSS testing data to the EPSS management computer system for use in generating the one or more test reports.

166. The method of claim 159, wherein the test initiation command is generated by manually activating the at least one generator such that the at least one generator starts running, and wherein the test initiation command indicates that the at least one generator is running.

167. The method of claim 166, wherein the test initiation command is sent from the at least one generator to the EPSS management computer system via an interface module, and wherein the interface module is operatively connected to the EPSS equipment and the EPSS management computer system for communicating signals between the EPSS equipment and the management computer system.

168. The method of claim 166, wherein the interface module receives EPSS testing data from the at least one generator during the no load test and normalizes and transmits the EPSS testing data to the EPSS management computer system for use in generating the one or more test reports.

169. The method of claim 159, wherein the EPSS equipment further comprises at least one automatic transfer switch (ATS), at least one fuel supply, and at least one fuel management system.

170. The method of claim 159, wherein the EPSS equipment further comprises switchgear.

171. The method of claim 159, wherein the EPSS testing data that is received from the at least one generator and stored in the corresponding generator data record is selected from the group comprising:

a test start date and time, test end date and time, time and date initiation command is received, time and date generator begins running, time and date generator stops running, total engine runtime, time duration of generator cooldown, oil pressure, coolant temperature, exhaust temperature, charging voltage, charging current, power, rated power, percent of rated power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, and frequency.

172. The method of claim 159, wherein each data record for the at least one generator further includes a generator identifier, test identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s being tested, group of EPSS equipment to be tested, test type, and a creation date and time of the data record.

173. The method of claim 159, further comprising the step of upon detection of an emergency event affecting the EPSS equipment at the facility, aborting the no load test.

174. The method of claim 159, further comprising the step of displaying live EPSS testing data to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) as the no load test is occurring.

175. The method of claim 159, wherein the EPSS management computer system maintains a calendar of historical no load tests for viewing EPSS testing data related to past no load tests.

176. The method of claim 159, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more compliance reports for complying with regulatory testing requirements of the EPSS equipment.

177. The method of claim 176, further comprising the step of retrieving a beginning test data point, middle test data point, and ending test data point for the no load test from the EPSS testing data stored in the data records for the at least one tested generator for inclusion in the one or more compliance reports.

178. The method of claim 176, wherein the regulatory testing requirements are mandated by the Joint Commission and set by the National Fire Protection Agency.

179. The method of claim 159, wherein the one or more test reports comprise one or more operational reports listing one or more items from the EPSS testing data received during the no load test for a plurality of test data points for the at least one tested generator.

180. The method of claim 159, further comprising the step of providing an alarm to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) when one or more predefined occurrences related to the EPSS equipment occur during the no load test.

181. The method of claim 180, wherein the one or more predefined occurrences are selected from the group comprising:

one or more EPSS testing data values exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more EPSS testing data values falls below one or more predetermined values, one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions, and one or more items of EPSS equipment fails to operate.

182. A method for utilizing an emergency event as a load test for purposes of complying with testing requirements involving the operation of emergency power supply system (EPSS) equipment at a facility, wherein the EPSS equipment is operatively connected to an EPSS management computer system for managing the EPSS equipment at the facility, comprising the steps of:

upon initiation of the emergency event, detecting the emergency event via the EPSS management computer system;

creating one or more data records for each item of EPSS equipment affected by the emergency event, wherein the one or more data records include EPSS operational data related to the emergency event, and wherein the one or more data records are stored in a database;

receiving the EPSS operational data from the each item of EPSS equipment affected by the emergency event and storing the received EPSS operational data in each respective data record; and

upon completion of the emergency event, generating one or more emergency reports based on the stored EPSS operational data for each item of EPSS equipment affected by the emergency event.

183. The method of claim 182, wherein the emergency event comprises a loss of utility power at the facility.

184. The method of claim 182, wherein the EPSS equipment includes one or more generators.

185. The method of claim 184, further comprising the step of if the emergency event satisfies certain predefined criteria, using the one or more emergency reports as one or more generator compliance test reports to satisfy one or more EPSS testing requirements.

186. The method of claim 185, wherein the certain predefined criteria include a required run time of one or more generators subject to the emergency event and a required output load by the one or more generators.

187. The method of claim 184, wherein for a generator, the received EPSS operational data that is stored in a corresponding generator data record is selected from the group comprising:

emergency event start date and time, emergency event end date and time, time and date generator begins running, time and date generator stops running, total engine runtime, time duration of generator cooldown, oil pressure, coolant temperature, exhaust temperature, charging voltage, charging current, power, facility load powered, rated power, percent of rated power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, and frequency.

188. The method of claim 184, wherein the one or more data records comprises one or more generator data records including a generator identifier, emergency event identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s subject to the emergency event, group of EPSS equipment subject to the emergency event, and a creation date and time of the particular one or more data record.

189. The method of claim 182, wherein the EPSS equipment includes one or more automatic transfer switches (ATS'"'"'s).

190. The method of claim 189, further comprising the step of if the emergency event satisfies certain predefined criteria, using the one or more emergency reports as one or more ATS compliance test reports to satisfy one or more EPS testing requirements.

191. The method of claim 190, wherein the certain predefined criteria include a transfer by one or more ATS'"'"'s of facility power from utility power to emergency power and a transfer by the one or more ATS'"'"'s of facility power back to utility power from emergency power.

192. The method of claim 189, wherein for an ATS, the received EPSS operational data that is stored in a corresponding ATS data record is selected from the group comprising:

emergency event start date and time, date and time facility power is transferred from utility power to emergency power, time duration of transfer from utility power to emergency power, date and time facility power is transferred back from emergency power to utility power, time duration of transfer from emergency power to utility power, emergency event end date and time, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, total current, rated current, percent of rated current, power factor, total power, facility load powered, frequency, and a percent of rated power for generators connected to the at least one ATS.

193. The method of claim 182, wherein the one or more data records comprises one or more ATS data records including an ATS identifier, an emergency event identifier, facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s subject to the emergency event, group of EPSS equipment subject to the emergency event, and a creation date and time of the particular one or more data record.

194. The method of claim 182, wherein the EPSS equipment includes one or more fuel supplies and one or more fuel management systems.

195. The method of claim 182, wherein the EPSS equipment includes switchgear.

196. The method of claim 182, wherein the testing requirements are mandated by the Joint Commission and set by the National Fire Protection Agency for ensuring the EPSS equipment is capable of operating correctly during an emergency event.

197. The method of claim 182, further comprising the step of retrieving a beginning test data point, middle test data point, and ending test data point for the emergency event from the EPSS operational data stored in the data records of each item of EPSS equipment subject to the emergency event for inclusion in the one or more emergency reports.

198. The method of claim 182, wherein the EPSS operational data is received from each item of EPSS equipment at an interface module that is operatively connected to the EPSS equipment and the EPSS management computer system, and wherein the interface module normalizes and transmits the EPSS operational data to the EPSS management computer system for use in generating the one or more emergency reports.

199. The method of claim 182, further comprising the step of displaying live EPSS operational data to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) as the emergency event is occurring.

200. The method of claim 182, further comprising the step of providing an alarm to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) when one or more predefined occurrences related to the EPSS equipment occur during the emergency event.

201. The method of claim 200, wherein the one or more predefined occurrences are selected from the group comprising:

one or more EPSS operational data values exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more EPSS operational data values falls below one or more predetermined values, one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions, and one or more items of EPSS equipment fails to operate.

202. For an emergency power supply system (EPSS) that supplies emergency electrical power to a protected facility in the event of a power outage of electrical power by a utility, a method for maintaining equipment of the EPSS in a state of compliance with requirements involving the operation of the EPSS equipment under predetermined conditions for predetermined times, the EPSS equipment comprising at least one generator and at least one automatic transfer switch (ATS), comprising the steps of:

providing an emergency power management system (EPMS) that is coupled for data communications with the EPSS equipment, the EPMS including a management computer system operative for managing operational characteristics of the EPSS equipment with automatically configurable management software, the management computer system including a computer program operative to receive signals from the EPSS equipment indicative of status of the EPSS equipment and to provide signals to control the operation of the EPSS equipment including the testing of the EPSS equipment;

in response to a power outage event that causes the startup of the at least one generator by the at least one ATS, providing signals to the EPMS management computer system indicating the power outage event, the EPMS management computer system creating and storing data records corresponding to a time of initiation of the power outage event, the nature of the event as a power outage event, operating parameters of the EPSS equipment during the power outage event, and a time of termination of the power outage event and return of utility electrical power to the protected facility;

in response to an automatic test event, providing signals from the EPMS management computer system to the EPSS equipment to startup the at least one generator and run a test, the EPMS management computer system creating and storing data records corresponding to a time of initiation of the automatic test event, the nature of the event as an automatic test event, operating parameters of the EPSS equipment during the automatic test event, and a time of termination of the automatic test event;

in response to a manual test signal from an item of EPSS equipment indicating a manual test event initiated by a person, the EPMS management computer system creating and storing data records corresponding to a time of initiation of the manual test event, the nature of the event as a manual test event, operating parameters of the EPSS equipment during the manual test event, and a time of termination of the manual test event;

cumulating operational data by the EPMS management computer system corresponding to the operating parameters of the EPSS equipment for power outage events, automatic test events, and manual test events; and

based on the cumulated operational data, providing an output from the EPMS as evidentiary data in support of a submission that the EPSS equipment has complied with said predetermined operational requirements.

203. The method of claim 202, wherein the predetermined operational requirements are mandated by the Joint Commission and set by the National Fire Protection Agency.

204. The method of claim 202, wherein for the at least one generator the operating parameters are selected from the group comprising:

time and date generator begins running, time and date generator stops running, total engine runtime, time duration of generator cooldown, oil pressure, coolant temperature, exhaust temperature, charging voltage, charging current, power, facility load powered, rated power, percent of rated power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, and frequency.

205. The method of claim 202, wherein for the at least one ATS the operating parameters are selected from the group comprising:

date and time facility power is transferred from utility electrical power to generator power, time duration of transfer from utility electrical power to generator power, date and time facility power is transferred back from generator power to utility electrical power, time duration of transfer from generator power to utility electrical power, three-phase voltage, three-phase current, total current, rated current, percent of rated current, power factor, total power, facility load powered, frequency, and a percent of rated power for generators connected to the at least one ATS.

206. The method of claim 202, wherein the test comprises a load test such that facility power is transferred from utility electrical power to generator, and wherein the at least one generator supplies generator power to a portion of the protected facility.

207. The method of claim 202, wherein the test comprises a no load test such that facility power remains supplied by utility electrical power during the no load test.

208. The method of claim 202, wherein the EPSS equipment further comprises at least one fuel supply and at least one fuel management system.

209. The method of claim 202, wherein the EPSS equipment further comprises switchgear.

210. The method of claim 202, wherein data record for the at least one generator further includes a generator identifier, event identifier, protected facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s subject to the event, group of EPSS equipment subject to the event, and a creation date and time of the data record.

211. The method of claim 202, wherein each data record for the at least one ATS further includes an ATS identifier, event identifier, protected facility identifier, user information, identifier of one or more EPSS'"'"'s subject to the event, group of EPSS equipment subject to the event, and a creation date and time of the data record.

212. The method of claim 202, wherein the EPMS further includes an interface module for providing communications between the EPSS equipment and the management computer system.

213. The method of claim 202, further comprising the step of displaying live EPSS operating parameters to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) as the event is occurring.

214. The method of claim 202, wherein the management computer system maintains a schedule of automatic test events for running tests of the EPSS equipment according to a calendar of automatic test events.

215. The method of claim 202, wherein the EPSS management computer system maintains a calendar of historical power outage events, automatic test events, and manual test events for viewing EPSS testing data related to past power outage events, automatic test events, and manual test events.

216. The method of claim 202, wherein the output from the EPMS is a compliance report indicating that the EPSS equipment has complied with the predetermined operational requirements.

217. The method of claim 202, further comprising the step of retrieving a beginning data point, middle data point, and ending data point from the EPSS operating parameters for each of the power outage events, automatic test events, and manual test events for inclusion in the output from the EPMS.

218. The method of claim 202, further comprising the step of providing an alarm to a user via a graphical user interface (GUI) when one or more predefined occurrences related to the EPSS equipment occur during a power outage event, automatic test event, or manual test event.

219. The method of claim 218, wherein the one or more predefined occurrences are selected from the group comprising:

one or more EPSS data values exceeds one or more predetermined values, one or more EPSS data values falls below one or more predetermined values, one or more items of EPSS equipment malfunctions, and one or more items of EPSS equipment fails to operate.