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Crowd-Sourced Adaptive Energy Mgmt in Rural Communities

improving a community’s ability to facilitate changing user needs and improve energy performance

Interpretation of the SEMM model

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Objectives

Based on smart city technologies that combine data and services from multiple public sources to improve a community’s ability to facilitate changing user needs and increased energy performance. The objective is to use data and predictive analysis to promote proactive building maintenance and energy optimisation between recreational buildings in the region.

Target Groups

Communities

Techologies Used

Ounashalli Sensors: MCF88 MCF-LW12VOC LoRaWAN indoor environmental sensor including measurement of VOC and LUX Ruuvitag Bluetooth sensor for outside temperature, air humidity, air pressure and motion Pycom development board with LoPy 4.0 and Pycom Expansion Board Development board for Bluetooth and LoRa connections. This board also includes LoRa Antenna Ounashalli Network: LoraWaN –> Digita Thingpark portal -> Node-red -> Cloudant Database-> Website Ounashalli Data: Indoor and outside temperature, humidity, VOC, etc. Mapping: Sensor data is provided to building managers via an application. Engagement: Pilot site information, sensor data and waste heat and solar energy calculators are presented on the pilot website: https://smarctic.tequ.fi/ Lappi Areena Sensors: API for I-top refrigerator automation system provided by Caverion Lappi Areena Network: Caverion I-Top - >Secure internet connection -> API - > Website Lappi Areena Data: Waste heat, consumed electricity by compressors, data from different pumps and valves, temperature of ice, indoor air and outdoor air. Mapping: Waste heat, electricity consumption, temperature and pump and valve data is provided to building managers via an application. Engagement: Pilot site information, sensor data and waste heat and solar energy calculators are presented on the pilot website: https://smarctic.tequ.fi/

Pilot Story

This pilot involves the following participants and user groups in Ounasvaara, Rovaniemi, Finland:

Lappi Areena ice hockey arena
Ounashalli football hall

User Groups involved are:

Athletes
Sports clubs
Tourists
Owners and property maintenance

Lappi Areena is a modern multi-purpose hall that can be converted to a variety of uses according to the occasion and the number of guests. The main hall can be used to congresses, concerts or hockey matches. Two smaller halls are mainly hockey practice halls but can be converted to other uses when needed. Ounashalli is a ground floor football hall built in 1986. It hosts a artificial turf based hall with training opportunities for several different ball sports. Mainly used for football practices, but can be used for other purposes too e.g. trade shows. Energy Audit Initial steps to implement the pilot included an energy audit of the buildings, including current and historical water, heat and electricity consumption data. LUAS conducted property visits and measurements and interviewed the property managers for additional insight into the host sites. Heating Optimisation Most of the energy is used for heating, especially in the winter. A common problem in these kind of public spaces is either over heating or under heating. One cause of the problem in Finland is the temperature variation from -30 to +30 degrees. Another cause of the problem in these kind of spaces is the variety in the number of people in the space simultaneously. Real-time outdoor and indoor temperature measurement show the reaction of the room temperature to the prevailing outdoors conditions. And analysis of the findings led to recommendations for management improvements. Solar Energy It was established when selecting the host sites that energy consumption is high in all of the buildings. The buildings are large, have large roof surfaces and are located on top of a hill so there is no natural shading. These factors indicate good potential for solar energy. Although there is no budget for implementation within the budget, LUAS conducted the analysis and the results have been shared with the stakeholders. The analysis outlines potential benefits between buildings:

Secondary use of excess heating from the ice hall could be used to heat Ounashalli
Establishing the viability of building a joint renewable energy plant, i.e., solar panels

And involves user groups in energy savings

Suggestions for the owners and property maintenance
Increase athletes’, sport clubs' and tourists' awareness of energy consumption

Pilot Links & Videos

https://smarctic.tequ.fi/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkzAIGcJsns&t=1s

Pilot Results

The pilot idea was initiated in meetings with the owners and maintenance staff of the building. They have large energy bills, consumption is high, and excess heat is generated and let out of the building. However, the amount of waste heat was unknown. Both buildings have had problems but as the building systems are old, lacking measurement devices and energy efficiency has not been on the table or a main priority, these have not been fixed so this pilot project has provided the data needed to identify solutions.

The first task was to get acquainted with the processes used to heat and cool the different spaces of the buildings. Next was to come up with a plan to measure the different parts of these processes. Finally, the results of the analysis of the findings, sensor data and waste heat/solar energy calculators are presented on the pilot website: https://smarctic.tequ.fi/

Lessons Learned & Recommendations

The analysis conducted based on historic and sensor data (indoor and outside temperature, humidity, VOC, waste heat, electricity consumed by compressors, temperature of ice, indoor air and outdoor air) has increased understanding of the amount of excess heat available and the potential for solar energy installations.
Awareness of waste heat has spread and other building operators in the area have expressed interest in using it in their own properties.