ENERGY HARVESTING SUSTAINABILITY
Coronavirus
– the stimulus for change?
Technology has played a key part in tackling Covid-19, but how can it
be used to tackle the issue of sustainability? By Andreas Schneider
The idea of sustainability
has been around for several
decades. Its three pillars,
ecology, the economy and society
have over that time varied in emphasis
but, to date, it has not fulfilled its
promise. Sea levels continue to
rise, polar ice caps are melting, rain
forest habitats are disappearing, and
devastating fires are raging.
Has COVID-19, however, given the
world a glimpse of how things could
change for the better, with clearer and
emptier skies, quiet and unpolluted
roads, and more people using green
spaces. Could the global pandemic
enable things to come together in a
radically different way? Many of the
technologies that could make this
happen are already in place.
Take the example of energy
harvesting switches and sensors
in building automation. They are
environmentally friendly because the
technology does not require batteries
or wires and therefore don’t pollute
the environment. They are economical
because battery-free wireless sensors
are significantly cheaper in the
long term in comparison with wired
solutions or sensors with batteries.
And they benefit society because
people can live and work better and
healthier in smart buildings.
Such devices also make buildings
greener and help to reduce their CO2
emissions.
Based on this innovation,
sensor and switch manufacturers,
digital platform operators, system
integrators, gateway producers and
automation companies are forming
partnerships to create “smart
spaces”. In office buildings, at home,
in hotels, in retail and in medical
facilities the idea of ‘business as
usual’ is simply not working anymore.
There are ideas everywhere to
make rooms smarter, safer and
healthier and, at the same time, to
reduce CO2 consumption.
Simply constructing taller buildings
or adding more streets won’t
ever be sustainable. Only smart,
networked use of existing buildings
and infrastructure will work. By itself,
technology cannot be the sole answer
but when combined with other factors,
digitalization supports this change and
makes it easier for people. After all,
digitalization supplies data for new
workplaces and living environments
and makes for a liveable future in
a rapidly changing, nevertheless
sustainable, world.
Buildings are some of the world’s
biggest CO2 producers. They account
for one third of all CO2 emissions in
the EU. The energy savings potential is
equally high – for example, with smart
building control in residential and
commercial structures.
To meet the energy efficiency
standards mandated by national,
international and provincial legislation,
networking and smart building control
facilitate digitalization of heating and
air-conditioning systems by providing
information about a building’s actual
energy efficiency. Likewise, conformity
to regulations dictates that the various
disciplines must be intelligently
interconnected and digitalized in
keeping with a smart building or smart
home.
Standardised interfaces and open
wireless standards like those specified
by the EnOcean Alliance, Bluetooth
SIG and Zigbee Alliance form the basis
for this.
Sustainable energy management
Thermokon, a member of the EnOcean
Alliance, supports customers all over
the world with seamless climatefriendly
solutions that supply optimal
room temperature, hot water,
electricity and good air quality. In the
future, all systems will be networked,
making them more efficient and
comfortable to operate.
The pending energy transition can
be managed only with future-oriented
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