Solutions on BABLE are expert-curated proposals for efficiently implementable Smart City projects. Each Solution contains a list of benefits and a list of functions needed to achieve these benefits, as well as information on the business model, driving factors, relevant legal regulations, advices from experts and links to relevant use-cases and products.
Solutions
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Solution
Vehicle Sharing System
Vehicle sharing systems allow customers to use various vehicles without the need to own each vehicle. There are different types of vehicle sharing systems on the market. Differences can include the type of vehicle shared, like car sharing, bike sharing, scooter sharing or electric vehicle sharing. In addition to the type of the vehicle, one main difference between vehicle sharing systems is the vehicle holder. Most commonly, the operator owns the vehicles that are then shared with the users. Another opportunity is peer-to-peer vehicle sharing, in which the citizens share their own vehicles. For each vehicle sharing system, it is necessary to ensure the accessibility of the vehicles and to manage the location and operation of the vehicles. The growth of vehicle sharing systems is driven by urbanisation, increasing smartphone penetration, growth in internet of things (IoT), climate change, regulations, growing awareness about the environment and personal health etc. ( SUNRISE, 2020 ) Problems to be solved GHG emissions congestion Large space consumption of parking areas Deficits in intermodality and accesibility High investment costs for purchasing vehicles Pollution
Solution
Smart Microgrids
Microgrids are smaller-scale versions of a local centralised electricity system - a.k.a. a macrogrid - and are equipped with control capabilities that allow them to operate in tandem with the local macrogrid, or autonomously on a stand-alone basis. As such, microgrids have existed for decades powering industrial sites, military bases, campuses and critical facilities such as hospitals, primarily using fossil-fuel-fired Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and reciprocating engine generators. However, many cities are now interested in microgrid systems that can better integrate renewable generation resources and various energy loads, serve multiple users and/or meet environmental or emergency responses. Microgrids can bring several benefits to the environment, utility operators and customers; benefits that are especially important for cities as they strive to create smart, safe, and liveable communities with thriving economies. Considering local priorities and challenges, municipalities have three good reasons to pursue microgrids: Microgrids contribute to reducing GHG emissions and help cities meet their climate goals by: Fostering the integration and aggregation of renewable energy sources, thanks to their ability to balance energy production and usage within the microgrid through distributed, controllable generation and storage (e.g. CHP, thermal storage or fuel cells). Harnessing energy that would otherwise be wasted (e.g. electricity transmission losses or waste heat from energy production), thanks to the proximity of where energy is generated and where it is needed. Microgrids can strengthen and increase resilience of the central grid by: Increasing the system-wide reliability and efficiency, as they help reduce or manage energy demand whilst alleviating grid congestion, thanks to their ability to isolate and take over local energy demand autonomously. Reducing grid vulnerability by coping with impending power outages and safeguarding against potential cyberattacks on energy infrastructure. Sustaining energy service during emergencies or natural disasters, especially for critical public services, and helping the macrogrid recover from system outages. Microgrids can better serve the community and enhance local economy by: Keeping electricity tariffs under control thanks to more efficient and cost-effective grid management, greater use of valuable wasted energy and/or reduced investments in additional energy capacity or transmission infrastructure. Favouring the competitiveness of municipalities, as these can offer low energy costs and elevated levels of reliability that may attract new business and jobs, especially industries highly sensitive to power outages (e.g. data centres, research facilities, etc.). Ensuring power reliability for isolated or hard-to-serve communities by providing clean, reliable, and resilient energy in a cost-effective way. Constituting an ideal way to integrate renewable resources on the community level and allow for customer participation in the electricity enterprise. Problems to be solved Increasing costs & emissions from current energy supply Wasted energy & revenue losses Limited grid capacity & power reliability Demand for greater grid resilience and flexibility Increasing & changing energy demand Ageing, weak and/or absent infrastructure
Solution
Virtual Power Plant
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 a number of 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 with the aim of enabling smaller power system agents (i.e., consumers, producers, prosumers, or any mix thereof) to engage in electricity markets and provide services to the grid. 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 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-fuelled) 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 issues due to integration of distributed energy sources Increasing demand for integration of variable renewable sources into the grid Restricted market participation of small independent DER operators Increasing & changing energy demand Increasing costs & emissions from current energy supply Demand for greater grid resilience and flexibility
Solution
District Heating & Cooling Systems
District heating and cooling systems distribute thermal energy in the form of steam, hot water, or chilled liquids, from central or decentralised sources of production through a network to multiple buildings or sites, for the use of space or process heating or cooling. For a lower environmental impact, a combination of heat recycling and renewable heat is the focus for district heating systems. Following the Paris Agreement in 2015 and the EU target to cut emissions by at least 40 % below 1990 levels by 2030, there has been an increased effort from member states to foster district heating and cooling using alternative fuel sources and carbon-neutral heat producing technologies. This transition is challenging as district heating supplies only 12 % of the EU´s heat supply, with most of the energy produced from CHP plants powered by natural gas and solid fuels such as lignite. Problems to be solved Carbon emissions Low-efficient heat supply Fossil fuel dependency GHG emissions
Solution
Bi-directional Electric Vehicle Charging
Most cars are idly parked 90-95% of the time. With an accelerated shift to using electric vehicles (EVs), batteries of EVs offer enormous potential in terms of using their vast collective storage capacity as a flexible solution to support the grid, which can be taxed with an intermittent renewable energy supply. Bidirectional electric vehicle charging (V2X) refers to EV chargers that allow not only for charging the battery of the EV but also for taking energy from the car battery and pushing it back to the grid when needed. There are two primary receivers of power from an EV: the grid (V2G) and the electricity from a home or building (V2H). Bi-directional charging creates greater synergy between the clean transport sector and renewable energy sources, as the car batteries can store excess energy created by variable renewable sources such as wind and solar, then provide power to the grid or home when demand is high or energy production is low. This reduces curtailment, lowers the need for grid infrastructure investments and allows for higher renewable energy integration. In addition, V2H charging can act as an emergency power source during power outages and V2G can provide vehicle owners with extra income through arbitrage of time-variable energy prices. Problems to be solved Grid congestion Growing energy consumption Unsteady power generation from renewable sources Uneven peaks in energy usage
Solution
Energy Storage Systems
Global energy demand has risen sharply over the past decade. Economic growth, population growth and the industrialization of developing countries are among the reasons for this. This energy demand should be covered as stable and sustainable as possible and with 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. Storage capacities decouple energy production and consumption and thus can support to balance the system by stor energy that is currently available but not needed, for later use ( Distributed Control Methods and Cyber Security Issues in Microgrids, 2020 ). Problems to be solved Indirect by increased renewable energy integration Reduce fossil fuel consumption Reduce carbon emissions Improved air quality Reduced fossil fuel import dependency Directly by storage solutions Voltage and frequency regulation Grid stability Balancing geographical imbalances Peak shaving Efficiency increase of renewables Increases of utilisation rate of local renewable production
Solution
Public Charging System for Electric Vehicles
The current EU regulation on emissions for cars is the strictest worldwide. Along with further restrictions the thresholds cannot be met with conventional cars only anymore. One alternative technology, reducing the local emissions, are electric vehicles (EVs). For a successful market penetration, a functioning infrastructure is necessary. Customers rank inadequate access to charging stations as the third most serious barrier to EV purchase, after price and driving range ( Mckinsey, 2018 ). Therefore, public charging systems for electric vehicles support the electrification of urban mobility systems. While price and driving range improves each year, chargers can be of different power ranges and charging technologies. In addition, they can be smartly integrated into the local grid and provide information about the system for customers, operators and other stakeholders. For the user experience, it is recommended to include a payment and authentication system, which facilitates the access and enhances the transparency of the charging process. It is also an issue of access to charging stations, as charging is performed while the car is parked, and the possibility to book parking spots (adjacent to the charging station) is legally challenging in many countries. Dedicated parking spots for EV’s only do not solve the issue, as another (fully charged) EV can park for long term on the spot for which one account for charging after arrival. Problems to be solved Rapidly growing charging-demand for EVs Carbon Emissions Air pollution
Solution
Digital Twin
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 project implementation and monitoring Create better preparedness for emergency situations Make urban data easier to understand
Solution
Electric Bus System
Today in Europe, 25% of total GHG emissions are linked to transport with 8% of the total emissions produced by buses. Therefore, transport systems like Electric Bus Systems are a way to reduce the emissions and improve quality of transport and living. ( UITP, 2019 ) The Electric Bus System is a public transportation system that is operated by electric buses only. As every public transportation system, it can include ticketing, information of customers and a monitoring system. Additionally, facilities to charge the electric buses are mandatory. Due to the charging process, a management system for operation and planning of range as well as route optimisation is even more important than it is with conventional bus systems. (see also SCIS ) Problems to be solved Air quality High Costs Noise Lack of Comfort In comparison to conventional engines, Electric Bus Systems are free of emissions locally. Moreover, less noise is produced when driving. While the initial costs for purchasing electric buses may be higher, the overall costs of Electric Bus Systems can be lower than the one of other systems depending on the usage.
Solution
Bike Sharing System
A bike sharing system intends to provide a community with a shared fleet of bikes. Therefore, individual users do not have to own a bike, but rather everyone can use the fleet flexibly. Flexible options to use bikes at different locations can increase the attractiveness of biking – and thus the modal share of biking in a city – by providing more convenient options for commuters and recreational users. For each bike sharing system, it is necessary to ensure the accessibility of the bikes and to manage the location and operation of the bikes. European bike sharing systems mostly use a dock-based concept, where bikes can be picked-up and dropped-off at specific locations. New market entrants are also disrupting the European market with free-floating and hybrid systems. Bike sharing systems are most beneficial as part of Mobility as a Service (MaaS) systems. Through collaboration with other shared mobility companies as well as public transport, bike sharing can be conveniently fit into existing mobility platforms through integrated ticketing and pricing. Problems to be solved Congestion Air Quality Climate Change Collision Parking Space Inadequate physical activity (and associated chronic disease outcomes) Congestion, air quality, climate change, collisions, parking spaces and inadequate physical activity are all ills affecting the quality of life of citizens. Bike sharing reduces land consumption and pollutant emissions by enabling trips that would otherwise be taken by private cars to be taken by shared bicycle transport. Even in urban areas that already have higher levels of cycling and walking, research supports that increased active travel substitutes for motorised travel – including cycling and e-biking – can substantially reduce mobility-related lifecycle CO2 emissions ( Brand et al., 2021 ). Rented shared bikes cover up to 10,000 kilometres a year and are therefore used more frequently than most private bikes.
Solution
Urban Data Platform
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
Drone Delivery System
Delivery trucks for parcels are a noticeable part of urban traffic that can be reduced by implementing a drone delivery system. As the market for deliveries is significantly and steadily growing, especially due to the increasing options in online shopping, this becomes even more relevant. Likewise, the delivery market slowly transforms from a mainly B2B market to a B2C market. These developments lead to the increasing importance of the so called ‘last mile’ – the delivery from the closest transportation hub to the final destination. One opportunity to improve the last mile delivery are drones. Autonomous drones can significantly accelerate delivery times and reduce the human costs associated with the delivery.
Solution
Last Mile Delivery
Due to the growing share of on-line shopping nowadays, an additional sales channel for companies came up. Internet sales has become an essential part of the retailing business in the past 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 logisticalcal 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 traffic of commercial vehicles in cities. The Last Mile Delivery (LMD) accounts for a major part of the costs involved in a delivery. A research of Capgemini Research Institute showed that the costs of LMD 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 LMD, 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 LMD, to minimize costs incurred, improve safety to minimize the impact on traffic as well as minimize the environmental impact. To improve the quality of life in the affected areas, the LMD should become environmentally friendly and emission-free (noise and emissions), the volume of traffic should be reduced to prevent illegal parking, collisions and stressful congestions. Congestion, 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 LMD more efficient.
Solution
Green Remediation
Within the EU, there are many brownfields with polluted soil, water or air. A significant number of these brownfields have a central location and are connected to the transport system. Green Remediation is a solution which remediates these brownfields and enables the use of these areas. The main benefits of applying this model are: 1) Prevention of new developments on greenfields 2) Improvement of human health and environmental conditions. The idea behind this green remediation is that not only pollution is minimised or eliminated, but also the efficient use of resources and impacts of restoration techniques are reduced. The essential point is that the polluted soil or groundwater is decontaminated on-site, eliminating the need for removal and transport off-site. Additionally, energy can be generated locally, allowing savings in power consumption. Also, old infrastructure can be reused or recycled.
Solution
Urban Farming
The global agriculture has a high environmental impact (30 percent of global emissions). This is mainly the case due to long supply chains. Currently, the average distance traveled for agricultural products is more than 2,400 km (Urban Farming in the City of tomorrow, 2018) . Using an Urban Farming approach, this distance can ideally be reduced to less than 10 km. This offers a new attractive option for a decarbonised food distribution system. In addition to this, securing urban food and resource supply is increasingly becoming a challenge, especially in heavily populated cities with limited access to surrounding agricultural areas. Thus, food produced within urban areas offers various opportunities for cities. There are different types of urban farms, e.g. differentiated by the location of the farm (such as rooftop, window, greenhouse, balcony, containor, inddor or vertical farming), differentiated by the method of farming (such as hydroponic, aeroponic or mistponic farming) or differed by the people cultivating the plants (such as community, instiutional, commercial or personal farms). The following information gives a general overview, but mainly focuses on indoor and vertical farming.
Solution
Electrification of fleets
In order to reduce fossil energy consumption, electric mobility is a key component of creating sustainable transportation. Not only is the transport sector responsible for 30% of total EU CO 2 emissions (72% of which are from road transport), but the rate of emission reductions has also slowed down. Other sectors, such as energy, agriculture, forestry, fisheries and housing, have significantly reduced their CO 2 emissions since 1990, while in the transport sector's CO 2 emissions are higher today than in 1990 due to the ever-increasing role of mobility in our lives (European Parliament, 2019). One solution to reduce transport-related CO 2 emissions is electric mobility. Due to their longer lifespan and lower operational costs, electric vehicles can be financially beneficial. Fleet solutions facilitate the diffusion of electric vehicles rapidly and successfully into the market. Additionally, facilities to charge the electric vehicles are mandatory (Proff, Fojcik 2016, p. 128). The main goal is to diffuse electric mobility for environmental reasons. The overall vehicle population can be reduced by building up electric fleets. Plus, using electric fleets provides opportunities for companies and cities to create an innovative image and to test new technologies. The limited range of electrically driven vehicles is often less of an issue for company- and city-operated vehicles, as shorter distances are primarily covered. Fleet applications offer excellent opportunities for fast and successful diffusion of electric vehicles into the market, paticularyl since e.g. around 60 % of annual new car registrations in Germany are accounted for by companies and the self-employed. After their first commercial use, the vehicles are usually transferred to the used car market after a few years. Electric fleets for companies are thus a catalyst for the wider potential market diffusion of electric vehicles.
Solution
Waste separation at source
In 2017, 70 percent of the global waste has been generated in cities - and a rising trend is expected in the next years. One step to efficiently and economically process this waste is the waste separation at source. It is fundamental for reusing and recycling resources because it prevents the contamination of the materials, thus increases their quality. As this system relies on the active participation of citizens, it needs to be simple and easy to understand by the users. The main aspect is that user sort waste according to the materials it is made of, but also that citizens can be identified, thus allowing differentiated pricing when people recycle more or less. In addition, this system can also facilitate composting and the recycling of other stuff like electronics or clothes.
Solution
Urban Emergency Service
The city infrastructure must be able to respond to various challenges including catastrophic events, natural disasters, terrors 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 that are potentially in danger.
Solution
Smart Lighting
Smart streetlights enable the reduction of running expenses associated with public lighting by delivering several value-added services to cities and citizens. The solution allows the dynamic adaption of the brightness of streetlights according to the season-dependent day and night cycle duration or even to a combination of this and the noise level. A good lighting system increases both actual and perceived security. Furthermore, directed light may improve the well-being of residents. An underlying connectivity backbone connects the poles (i.e. fibre-optic backbone) and serves to deliver digital services via integrated street lights. Within this solution, the lighting poles can be used to provide other functionalities (i.e. Intelligent and Connected Public Space – Wi-Fi, navigation aids for visually impaired people or displays) through the attachment of additional sensors or signalling devices.
Solution
Intelligent and Connected Public Space
An intelligent and connected public space collects data in public areas and displays or reacts on the data. The data can be securely transferred via Wi-Fi or other similar technologies to be, i.e. combined with a central system. The data that is collected with sensors can be data on the air quality, the movements and people in the public space or safety relevant information. With this, particular importance should be paid to privacy rights, i.e. by using non-intrusive sensors. Often implemented sub-services are Wi-Fi-hotspots or guidance beacons for blind navigation. Public displays can i.e. provide access to local maps, a store and service registry or multimodal route-planning. These mandatory and additional functions of the intelligent and connected public space are shown below. The sensors and technologies used to realise the different functionalities can be attached to, i.e. Smart Lighting poles and make use of the underlying backbone infrastructure.
Solution
Intelligent Waste Logistics
The global amount of waste produced is steadily rising. With the amount of waste, the importance of an efficient processing of waste grows. Intelligent waste logistic covers the waste chain from the pick-up of the waste at the inhabitants' place to the processing of recycling and destruction. Route optimizations for garbage trucks are part of an intelligent waste system. This can be approached by using smart bins, which are able to report their current state. The solution can also be implemented as an underground waste collection system. To improve the processing of the collected garbage, waste sorting robots can be used.
Solution
Smart Home Video Communication
Especially in less densely populated areas or for less mobile people a video conference system can ease the access to lots of services, such as medical advice, education, government services or judiciary. All these services can be used without leaving the house when a smart home video communication system is successfully implemented. Possible advantages of a video conference system are: The use of video enables authentication of the participating parties, people with disabilities can more readily access public services, long waiting queues in public buildings are avoided, and more comprehensive care than via telephone can be provided. Once installed, this system may also be used for educational purposes, to communicate with family or to enable surveillance of one’s property.
Solution
Smart Parking
The average city driver spends 6-14 minutes looking for a parking place, and in large cities, the time increases to 18-20 minutes. It is estimated that this time spent searching for a parking lot represents 30% of congestion on city streets. A Smart Parking System makes use of sensors or other technologies to determine the availability of parking lots in cities. This information can be shared with drivers, reducing the time spent looking for parking and thus reducing traffic congestion. Moreover, smart parking can be used to improve the usability at the parking place itself. Parking fees are already part of the cities’ revenues. Implementing a Smart Parking System enables cities to control their traffic better, apply different tariffs according to different areas and hours, and to use per minute rates - instead of flat rates - thanks to new billing models. ( Shoup, 2007; Shoup, 2008 ; IBM, 2011 ) Smart Parking systems and their functions can have several effects that can support the aims of the municipality or the users. The following diagram shows how the different aspects are intertwined. Caption: Essential benefits of Smart Parking ( Anke, Scholle, 2016, translated ) Problems to be solved Bad air quality Congestion Underused parking space Park offenders Accidents/collisions
Solution
Mobility Hubs
Mobility Hubs are places of connectivity where different modes of transportation - from walking to rapid transit – come together seamlessly. One of the key components of mobility hubs is the presence of a large area of influence, which is achieved from the concentration of employment, housing, shopping and/or recreation centres. This integrated suite of mobility services is intended to meet first-last mile needs of transit users through shared and sustainable transportation. It offers different options to users and ensures optimal connectivity. The most beneficial intermodal mobility hubs are mainly implemented close to existing mobility junctions such as train stations, as well as other transit stations. Other elements of mobility hubs include dedicated curb spaces for taxis, energy generation from solar cells, electric vehicle charging stations, interactive kiosks, and amenities like cafes or plazas to create an active space that is welcoming during layovers.
Solution
Building Energy Management System
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 the 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