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BABLE Solutions are expert-curated blueprints for efficiently implementable Smart City projects. Each Smart City Solution contains detailed and relevant information, while also linking to relevant Use Cases and Innovative Products.
Solution
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a continuously and rapidly growing technological innovation, aimed at making our daily activities more digitally connected. Through greater interconnected and better data analysis, IoT allows for more efficient, as well as more well-informed, decision-making capacity. This is done by making everyday physical objects internet-enabled, through their combination with sensors, processing capabilities and other software which allows for the sharing and interexchange of data. This process promises ‘to transform the way we work, live and play’ (Singhania, 2015). This merging of the physical and the virtual allows for the delivery of more innovative smart city solutions to real-world urban problems. At the forefront of the digital transformation, IoT can help in all sorts of scenarios, from traffic congestion to smart home monitoring, energy efficiency, and a wide range of security matters. Currently, however, although there are a whole variety of IoT-enabled devices on the market, many of which have been implemented to help improve municipal infrastructure, the potential of the technology is often not reached. This results from there being various network and device standards, which limit the capacity of devices not sharing these standards to interconnect, speak to each other, and thus share data for optimal network capacity. The answer to this is Enhanced or Interoperable IoT, allowing for seamless integration and interconnectivity of IoT-enabled devices, vastly expanding the potential for this technology usage in smart city problem-solving. Many urban technology solutions can work better and more effectively when they are working together within a connected system. For instance, commuters would benefit from knowing the best route to take with up-to-date traffic information, whilst also knowing the current parking spaces status. Without data feedback from all the involved devices, such information cannot be provided reliably. However, there is no universal standard for IoT-enabled devices due to the relative newness of the technology. This reduces the ability of devices to connect together and share data, essentially limiting the capacity of IoT solutions. This problem must be resolved to harness the true potential of internet-enabled technologies. One of the benefits of IoT is to track the use of devices through data analysis. This can help to limit the energy inefficiency of devices used across a wide variety of activities. IoT also allows for devices to be controlled, or limited in their usage, remotely. Without internet-connected devices, or without those which can communicate with each other, the sharing of important data for the analysis of city infrastructure is severely limited. Without such analysis, it will remain unclear how well urban infrastructure and smart city solutions are operating. Source: Vasilov, L. (2021) Knowledge byte: Building blocks of IOT architecture , Cloud Credential Council . Available at: www.cloudcredential.org/blog/knowledge-byte-building-blocks-of-iot-architecture/ (Accessed: November 1, 2022).
Solution
Digital Twins are used increasingly to support urban planning processes – by visualizing urban data, show-casing future scenarios and many other use cases. In general Digital twins are virtual representations of an object, process or system that can be used to run simulations to optimise efficiency and examine what-if scenarios. The technology has been primarily used for manufacturing to test products (e.g. as of 2018, GE had 1.2 million digital twins for 300,000 types of assets) but is quickly expanding to buildings, supply chains and entire cities as digital planning technology advances ( Castro, 2019 ). Integrating data from the Internet of Things (IoT) with the advanced modelling capabilities of technologies such as geospatial information systems (GIS), virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) and building information modelling (BIM) allows governments and industry to create predictions of how systems will react and respond to real-world data. Creating a feedback loop between the virtual and real worlds results in substantial improvements of processes and impacts, with time-saving and financial benefits. The concept of digital twins is not new; for example, NASA has been running simulations of spacecraft for decades, but the rapid growth of connected sensors and endpoints with the rise of the IoT and advancements in artificial intelligence has opened up a myriad of possibilities for the planning and analysis tool. Potential uses for digital twins are still being imagined. Uses for cities currently include using digital twins to plan transportation systems, prepare for natural disasters and identify optimal locations to install solar panels. Future uses could include predicting how a disease will spread and informing optimal lockdowns and hospital reservations or using the tool to facilitate collaborations with other cities that have shared problems and mutual goals. Problems to be solved: Ease complex decision-making Enable more efficient urban planning Enable more efficient project implementation and monitoring Create better preparedness for emergency situations Make urban data easier to understand
Solution
Due to the growing share of online shopping nowadays, an additional sales channel for companies has come up. Internet sales have become an essential part of retail business in recent years. Consequently, the volume of traffic caused by delivery services has increased rapidly with the success of e-commerce. Likewise, the delivery market slowly transforms from a mainly B2B market to a B2C one (e.g. Drone delivery). The final track of the supply chain – home delivery to a customer – is called Last Mile. The Last Mile of a delivery poses significant logistical challenges, especially regarding the increasing customer expectations, such as "same day delivery" or "exact time delivery" which leads to the decreasing time available for planning. Furthermore, the Last Mile has a huge effect in the traffic of commercial vehicles in cities. Moreover, the Last Mile Delivery accounts for a major part of the costs involved in a delivery. A research of Capgemini Research Institute showed that the costs of it account 41% of the overall supply chain costs ( Jacobs, Warner et al., p. 20 ). Figure 1 - Distribution of overall supply chain costs ( Jacobs, Warner et al., p. 20 ) In the reality of Last Mile Delivery, challenges like a small or single order compared to deliveries to stores, many constantly changing geographically dispersed locations (compare deliveries to stores) etc. must be faced. The goal is to improve the efficiency of Last Mile Delivery, minimise costs incurred, improve safety, minimise the impact on traffic, and minimise the environmental impact. To improve the quality of life in the affected areas, the Last Mile Delivery should become environmentally friendly and emission-free (noise and emissions), the volume of traffic should be reduced to prevent illegal parking, collisions and stressful congestion. Problems to be solved: Congestion Air Quality Collision Illegal parking Limited access to inner city Costs Congestion, bad air quality, collisions and illegal parking are all ills affecting the quality of life of citizens. The accessibility of inner-city locations is becoming more and more limited for cars and trucks in contrast delivery services are growing especially in these dense inner-city areas. There are several solutions to solve these problems that reduce pollutant emissions, lower the impact on traffic, improve safety and make Last Mile Delivery more efficient.
Solution
Improving energy efficiency of the building stock in a city needs strategic and long-term thinking. Complex ownership structures, market barriers, diversity of building typologies, consumer preferences and multiple stakeholders involved in the construction and retrofitting of a building makes energy efficient buildings a challenge even with the advanced technological developments. However, to realise positive energy districts and reach the ambitious climate goals set forward by cities, zero and positive energy buildings play a critical role. A variety of initiatives worldwide have proven that while a complex challenge, Energy Efficient Retrofitting of buildings is possible and has huge impact towards greener and more resilient cities. Problems to be solved Energy loss in buildings Use of inadequate materials Energy poverty Transition from fossil fuels Make technologies available Energy demand in buildings
Solution
Global energy demand has risen sharply over the past decade. The reasons for this include economic growth, population growth and the industrialisation of developing countries. Such energy demand must be met in the most stable and sustainable way possible, using renewable energies ( Proton OnSite, 2016 ). Variable electricity generation is a common phenomenon when dealing with renewable resources e.g. wind and sun. Thus, there can be a mismatch between the energy generated and the consumption patterns, leading to the fact that the energy is not necessarily produced at the time it is needed. Furthermore, due to the decentralised and widespread energy generation by renewable sources, the energy is not necessarily produced in places with demand. Energy Storage Systems decouple energy production and consumption, and therefore, can help balance the system by storing energy available at the moment, which is not immediately needed, for future use ( Distributed Control Methods and Cyber Security Issues in Microgrids, 2020 ). Problems to be solved Indirect by increased renewable energy integration: Fossil-fuel energy production Carbon emissions Detrimental air quality Fossil-fuel dependency Directly through storage solutions: Voltage and frequency regulation Grid instability Geographical imbalances Peak shaving Efficiency of renewables Utilisation rate of renewable production
Solution
The concept of Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) overturns the more traditional idea of relying on centralised (often CO2-emitting) power plants for predictable and reliable power output. As more and more small and large independent power producers enter the scene, solar, wind, and other renewable energy sources (RES) have penetrated the electricity grid all across Europe, opening the transition to a clean and sustainable energy infrastructure. However, the integration of these Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) into the grid is posing several challenges related to transmission congestion and/or voltage and frequency stabilities; renewables, in particular, are creating reliability issues due to their uncertain and intermittent nature. This clean power has disrupted the energy grid and created the need for new models and solutions for their integration. A VPP aggregates many dispersed and independent DERs into a single operating agent that acts like a traditional power plant, with a similar sizable generation capacity, allowing it to participate in power system markets (both wholesale and retail) or sell services to the operator. A VPP thus represents a flexible portfolio of DERs to enable smaller power system agents (i.e., consumers, producers, prosumers, or any mix thereof) to engage in electricity markets and provide services to the grid. Virtual Power Plant (IRENA, 2019) VPPs can help the integration of RES by providing both demand- and supply-side flexibility services to the main grid. VPPs can aggregate demand-response resources or energy storage units responding to grid requirements (demand-side flexibility), as well as incorporate fast-response units such as capacitors and batteries, along with CHP and biogas power plants to optimise power generation (supply-side flexibility). Through these two types of core services, VPPs can provide tangible benefits such as (IRENA, 2019): Supporting grid operation through various ancillary services Demand-side management and real-time load shifting based on price signals to reduce peak demand – making a business case for deferred investments in transmission and distribution grid infrastructure Balancing services and providing ramping requirements via optimisation platforms to compensate for fluctuations of any variable generation output from RES Increasing local flexibility at the distribution system level, if there is a regional local market for flexibility in place Decreasing the marginal cost of power By reducing or shifting load during peak demand to avoid the use of large (fossil-fuel) power plants to meet a small amount of electricity demand at an elevated cost, or By completely replacing the peak power plant with the dispatch of the aggregated DERs and charged batteries Optimising investment in power system infrastructure By saving on the costs of new capacity additions and/or grid reinforcement with the provision of real-time operational reserve capacity from already connected DERs, while providing them with additional revenues through their participation in ancillary markets when needed. Problems to be solved Raising grid stability and reliability Increasing demand for integration of renewable sources Restricted market Increasing & changing energy demand Increasing costs & emissions from current energy supply Demand for greater grid resilience and flexibility
Solution
Urban data platforms build the basis for a multitude of applications in a Smart City. An urban data platform intends to collate, map, store and integrate data from different stakeholders of the Smart City ecosystem (e.g. public entities, businesses, citizens or other organisations). The data can be offered to other service providers, can be analysed or visualised, and published. Such an urban data platform can be the basis for a lot of smart city solutions as it offers a stable and flexible base for data-driven solutions. An urban data platform can constitute a holistic system, connecting various services around a city by bringing all data together. A multisided market approach can support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) as data is available without any high initial investments. The main concern when it comes to urban data platforms is security, privacy and transparency, which places special focus on the responsibility and the reliability of the operator of the platform. Problems to be solved: Data accessibility Data availability Data-driven innovation Lack of data sharing
Solution
For over a decade, European municipalities have been establishing initiatives, strategies and action plans to increase the energy efficiency of private and communal infrastructure. Municipalities of EU member states, enforced by the EU Directive on energy efficiency, must work collaboratively to ensure that by 2020 and 2030, an energy efficiency of 20% and 32.5% are met, respectively. Initiatives, such as the Covenant of Mayors, have been launched to foster commitment towards energy and climate targets. Signatories voluntarily agreed to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. To achieve this, participating municipalities drafted and submitted a Sustainability Energy Action Plan (SEAP), defining their energy-saving and climate measures. More than 6000 municipalities have developed and approved a SEAP since 2008; however, when compared to the total number of municipalities across Europe, there is still a long way to go. It has been identified that a municipality's building stock represents the single largest potential for energy savings. It is also expected that more than two-thirds of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050. Therefore, this solution aims to ease the conception and implementation of municipal energy-saving measures. Problems to be solved Fossil fuel consumption Carbon emissions Detrimental urban air quality Wasted energy Unreliable energy supply Low energy monitoring
Solution
For the last decade, Urban Air Quality Platforms (UAQPs) have been an important tool for collecting, processing and visualising hyperlocal data about urban emissions. Similarly, UAQPs are generally open for access providing transparency and air pollution awareness. Data can be provisioned either by dispersed sensors across the city or through satellite imagery. The sensors collecting the data can be installed either by an operator (e.g. the municipality) or on private property. Problems to be solved: Siloed AQ data Unaccounted emissions Restricted data access Misidentification of emission sources
Solution
The city infrastructure must be able to respond to various challenges including catastrophic events, natural disasters, terrorist attacks and further cases of emergencies. For that purpose, an integrated emergency handling system is required that can close the gap between emergency centres and the citizens. On the one hand, this system should be able to acquire information from and around citizens based, for instance, on social networks or various sensors distributed in the vicinity in question. On the other hand, the system can provide means for pushing notifications and relevant information to citizens who are potentially in danger.
Solution
Resilience has become a buzzword within urban planning spheres as a strategic approach in addressing the complexities of challenges confronting the natural, economic, social, physical, and Institutional dimensions of cities. Urban resilience refers to the ability of an urban system and all its constituents across temporal and spatial scales to maintain or rapidly return to desired functions in the face of a disturbance, to adapt to change and to quickly transform systems that limit current or future adaptive capacity ( Meerow, 2016 ). Resilience requires a cyclical implementation of preparation, response, recovery, and mitigation phases ( Mackinnon, 2015 ). This cyclical approach should ideally result in a city with resiliency characteristics. The characteristics of a resilient system, as suggested by Arup (2014), are illustrated and described in the figure below. Qualities of Resilient Systems ( Arup, 2014 ) Flexible: the ability of the system to change, evolve and adapt to changing circumstances through the introduction of new knowledge or adoption of alternative technologies. Redundant: spare capacity intentionally created within systems to accommodate disruptions e.g., increased demand or extreme pressures. If one component of the system fails, other pathways can be used to meet essential functional needs. Robust: the ability to withstand the impacts of extreme conditions and to avoid a catastrophic collapse of the city from the failure of a single element through the anticipation of system failures and provisions to maximize predictability and safety. Resourceful: the ability to rapidly find ways to meet needs during a shock or under stress e.g., by investing in the capacity to anticipate future conditions, set priorities, and mobilise and coordinate the required resources (human, financial, and physical). Reflective: the willingness to accept unpredictable outcomes and continuously modify standards to appropriately address contemporary shocks and stresses. Inclusive: the willingness to consult and engage members of the community, particularly those who are vulnerable. Integrated: the commitment to being mutually supportive of a common outcome through ongoing feedback systems and collaboration across different scales of operation throughout the city.
Solution
According to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU. At present, about 35% of the EU's buildings are over 50 years old and almost 75% of the building stock is energy inefficient. Buildings are therefore the single largest energy consumer in Europe and have vast potential for energy efficiency gains. Currently, only about 1% of the building stock is being renovated each year. Renovation of existing buildings can lead to significant energy savings, as it could reduce the EU’s total energy consumption by 5-6% and lower CO2 emissions by about 5%. One way to increase the energy efficiency of buildings is to implement a building energy management system (BEMS). BEMSs are centralised, computer-based systems, which provide real-time monitoring and integrated control of building services and equipment to optimise energy usage. They typically control the lighting, power, hot water, and HVAC (heating ventilation and air conditioning) systems. The system monitors the information received from various sensors in the building (smart meters, occupancy, temperature, carbon dioxide and humidity sensors, etc.) and optimises energy consumption while maintaining safety and comfort. These systems can also be used to improve the health and security of the inhabitants by controlling and monitoring the environment, emergency responses and regular maintenance schedules. The technology can be applied to both residential and commercial buildings and at varying scales from small independent buildings to complex sites with multiple buildings. (European Commission) Problems to be solved Energy consumption Energy cost Greenhouse gas emissions Power outages