Question:
I’m interested in knowing how we could utilize Smart Energy applications in our house, and manage issues in electric power generation. Could you give me some examples on how the IndustrySim application helps us better understand these opportunities?
Answer:
Every house owner should have a close look at energy consumption in the household, since there is a good potential to reduce costs and improve the reliability. I will elaborate the answer to this question by describing how I would tackle this issue myself. I would start the process by mapping all devices which consume electricity in the house. A meter which is plugged in between the power outtake and the plug of the electric device is a very handy tool to measure how much electricity each device consumes on a daily basis.
After this is done, it is time to start the IndustrySim application and slot in the energy consumption points in your virtual house. In the northern latitudes, a significant – or even a vast – part of the energy consumption is related to heating. Many houses, in locations with cold winters, do have a central heating with water-based radiators. Also, the number of heat pumps increases in the northern hemisphere. The user of the IndustrySim application is able to easily construct a house with a heating/cooling system and energy consumption devices mimicking the house of the user. As a reference, the system helps the user construct another similar house, but with a different heating/cooling system and different energy consumption devices. Then it is fairly straightforward to compare energy consumption in both houses.
The user can also build Internet of Things (IoT) applications to improve the energy efficiency, and especially to smooth up the energy transfer in the electric grid. A smart electric grid is based on automatic communication (using IoT) between the consuming devices, the electric grid and the power generating facilities.
The gamification system of the IndustrySim application brings the user (in this case, we can call her or him the player) through exciting events and challenges, such as power shortage in the electric grid, failures of equipment, and a lot more. Will the IoT implementations improve the situation, or is there a need for other better innovations? It’s all very intriguing and it will hook you up in a reality of fast developing modern technology!