Smart building: accelerations from the new code of electronic communications
Foto by Freepic The theme of smart building, has been evolving for decades: a long way from the now obsolete concept of “home automation”, which is marking time in favor of the term smart home, with elements of innovation often very relevant, as in the case of digital energy that enables to merge some of the features of the power grid with those of the building: smart building and smart grid converge, thanks to the interoperability of technologies, IoT and Edge computing. But let’s widen our point of view: considering any building that can accommodate people (mainly, but not only) for different types of use, today when we talk about Intelligent Building we talk about Energy, Safety, Comfort at 360-degree. With all this convergence, it is therefore evident, and we would say inevitable, that the infrastructure of the building becomes a prerequisite for it to be considered “smart”: we are talking, of course, about an infrastructure that is integrated! Service infrastructure, starting with energy and telecommunications carriers – once again, the concept of system integration is an enabling condition and the technologies to be integrated are in fact enabling technologies. The path towards the evolution of the Intelligent Building finds a milestone on which we place our attention here: the European Code of Electronic Communications , established by Directive (EU) 2018/1972 of the European Parliament and of the Council (December 11, 2018), has been transposed in Italy by the LEGISLATIVE DECREE November 8, 2021, n. 207 , in force since 24-12-2021. The salient concepts and aspects are: – the concept of passive multi-service physical infrastructure: The digital infrastructure of buildings and multi-service facilities are the minimum essential equipment to enable occupants to take advantage of the relevant services; – the reference to the concept of smart building , defined by Directive 844/2018 as a building “prepared for intelligence”, a performance that can be measured through the indicator introduced by the European Commission, the Smart Readiness Indicator (S.R.I.), which must necessarily be equipped with such multi-service physical infrastructure – and, consequently, the very important new requirement: municipal technical offices will have to verify compliance with the obligations of digital infrastructure of the building , in the cases provided for, during the presentation of building projects. From the third point, it can be seen that the new provisions make the already existing obligation of digital infrastructure of buildings even more binding (if this conceptually can be imagined) : in fact, this obligation had already been introduced by art. 6 ter, paragraph 2 of Law no. 164/2014, which inserted art. 135 bis in DPR 380/01. From a practical point of view, while the label “building prepared for ultra-broadband” was considered in the previous regulatory provision as optional and not binding (art. 135 bis c.3 ), now among the conditions to be verified for the characteristics of fitness of a property, i.e. the conditions of safety, hygiene, health, energy saving of buildings and systems installed in them , has been introduced the presence, in the documentation provided, of the certificate of “building prepared for ultra-wideband”, issued by a qualified technician for the systems referred to in Article 1, paragraph 2, letter b), of the Decree of the Minister of Economic Development of January 22, 2008, no. 37, and according to the provisions of the Guides of the Ministry of Economic Development. 37, and in accordance with the provisions of the Guides CEI 306-2, CEI 306-22 and 64-100/1, 2 and 3. For further information, please read the following article written by Pasquale Capezzuto and published by Smart Building Italia https://www.smartbuildingitalia.it/news/contributi/linfrastrutturazione-digitale-degli-edifici-e-il-nuovo-codice-delle-comunicazioni-elettroniche/
PMI DAY 2021 of the small industry of Confindustria
Bari, November 19, 2021- The national PMI DAY of the Piccola Industria di Confindustria, which presents hundred of small and medium-sized companies in the country to thousands of high school students, was also held today in Bari. In Bari, about sixty boys and girls from the Marco Polo Institute and the Marconi-Hack Institute of Bar i visited the Adriatica Tecno Logistica of Modugno and found that even a large energy-intensive logistics platform such as this can become green : thanks to a massive photovoltaic system , this company, despite being highly energy-intensive because of its large cold rooms, has drastically reduced energy costs and its environmental impact, saving in 8 years almost 1 million euros and 4,777,315 kg of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. During the visit to the students were presented the n ew frontiers of clean energy productio n that is evolving thanks to digital. The Bari-based SME Tera srl , in fact, showed them how digital technology, applied to a photovoltaic system, can allow anyone, citizens and businesses not only to produce clean energy, but also to use it only when needed and exchange it, or sell it, when it is in excess. They can be born in this way, the local energy communities that produce and exchange energy within them. At the Bari PMI DAY 2021, organized in collaboration with Federmeccanica , speakers included Francesco Berardi , National President of Piccola Industria Confindustria Bari BAT, Natale Mariella President of Adriatica Tecno Logistica, Teresa Caradonna President of Piccola Industria Confindustria Puglia, Lorenzo Pagliuca Vice President of Piccola Industria Confindustria, Antonio Sacchetti CEO of Tera srl.
Energy Efficiency Best companies in Italy
Once again Tera srl has been selected and chosen among the best EnergyEfficiency startups and companies in Italy, for the innovativeness, management, and social impact of its solutions. Thank you Futurology Life for this recognition! 👉🏻 https://futurology.life/73-most-innovative-italy-based-energy-efficiency-companies-startups/https://lnkd.in/eKgR8kW9
The future of innovation is edge computing
Designed by Freepic Moving processing power to the edge of the network with edge computing is the new frontier of innovation. From the mainframe to the PC, from mixed client-server computing to the cloud and software-as-a-service, the technologies used for data processing, which has become increasingly complex, require even more high capacity and stable connections that minimize the latency time of information transmission, necessary for time-sensitive applications. Most Edge Computing solutions are used in industry for a variety of applications, ranging from sensor aggregation to monitoring of complex systems, to the digital transformation of manufacturing environments. Using Edge Computing technology in industrial sectors, as well as in the service sector, means monitoring and automating certain processes in the best, most effective way and protected from cyber-attacks. Managing machinery and IoT objects in real time is the challenge that edge computing and 5G are preparing to play, whose integration will allow to increase the speed of processing by exploiting the local cache of devices such as smartphones or IoT sensors. Learn more about this topic by reading this interesting article on Computerworld: Edge computing: the next leap of innovation U DISCOVER EDGE COMPUTER
Tera among the 101 Top Energy Startups 2021 for BestStartup.eu
Our commitment and foresight to design and create IoT Edge Computer respecting the ecodesign principles for sustainability is guiding us on a long term path with our partners and customers, especially in the world of Digital Energy. Thanks to BestStartup.eu for having identified the great innovative potential of an SME in the Apulia Region. Read the full article: https://beststartup.eu/101-top-energy-startups-and-companies-in-italy-2021/
The role of edge computing in the Circular Economy
Picture by Freepik After addressing the topic of edge computing by analyzing how it is positioned in the technological and market trends – with particular emphasis on IoT – and having pointed out the differences between fog and edge computing , let’s try to understand how and if edge computers can be involved in the Circular Economy . The markets where edge computing is finding more opportunities are Building Automation (with particular regard to energy efficiency), Digital Energy (smart metering, demand side management) and Environmental Monitoring. Without a doubt, edge computing contributes to the general sustainable development goals, contributing also to a more efficient and effective management of natural resources, a common goal with the the Circular Economy’s main target. The link between Edge computing and Circular Economy is not only generic, but specific. The European Parliament recent Resolution on the New Circular Economy Action Plan, in line with the sustainability goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement and connected to the EU Green Deal , sets out the path must be followed to promote the circular economy in Europe. In order to create sustainable and long-lasting products and enable citizens to fully engage in circular economy and benefit form resulting positive changes , the Plan includes a strategic framework featuring several measures to: In particular, the Point 3 of the Plan refers to reusable, durable and repairable products and expressly mentions the concept of longer lifetime , with reference to the European Parliament Resolution of July 4, 2017 , which aims to promote durable products, combat planned obsolescence and offer a system of consumer protections. Durability, interoperability, modular construction , upgradeability are some of the points emphasized by the Commission and have always been the hallmark of Tera devices. All Tera IoT edge computers are designed taking into account some aspects of “eco-design” in line with the emerging approach of sustainability. They are characterized by: With Linux and more than 10 communication protocols, Tera edge computers ensure highest flexibility, modularity and scalability . Installed on site and remotely monitored, they provide real-time knowledge of the fundamental parameters for any asset management, thus positively affecting costs and business performance. Focusing on the objectives of effective and efficient management of resources, in particular energy resources, companies can fulfill the obligations of energy diagnosis and monitoring and carry out preventive maintenance of industrial machinery to act before any overloads or devices damage occurr. Tera edge computers also read the energy consumption directly from the Power Line Communication, both in A and C band, and in case of photovoltaic system they read also the values of energy production reporting the values in € and kWh on the App, or control energy flows for DemandResponse systems (UVAM on small PV+Battery systems, Energy Communities). This means they are able to monitor and manage the bidirectional energy flows of battery inverters and other electrical equipments and loads, also in retrofit, to maximize the self-consumption. Thanks to their open approach, it is possible to associate Tera edge computers with other multi-brand devices (sensors/actuators) and software (both applications and IoT platform and edge computing), freeing the customer from the vendor-lock-in system and fostering a more targeted and customized solution.
Edge and Fog Computing: differences and similarities
Fog computing and edge computing are often confused, probably due to the similarity of the functionalities they offer in terms of data processing and data sending to analytical platforms located close to the data source (e.g. sensors on machinery, wearables, various types of devices on assets to be monitored and controlled). Both technologies can help organizations reduce their reliance on cloud-based platforms to analyze data, which often leads to latency issues with negative impacts particularly in use cases where closed-loop control is expected, typical of Smart Building, Health, Industry, to get closer to a data-driven approach that allows it to take faster decisions. In this perspective, in line with the increase in computation stress on Cloud systems within the networks, we will see the decentralization of the selected processing to be implemented on or near (at the edge) of the IoT field sensors collecting data. Fog and edge computing architectures therefore reduce the amount of data that must be sent and received from remote servers on the cloud and facilitate the immediate use of the data on which it is necessary to operate processing often within milliseconds or tens of milliseconds from the collection. The main difference between fog and edge computing is where the processing of that data occurs. In Edge Computing , the data are processed on the same devices (if they have enough computational capability), or on the “IoT gateways”, i.e. Edge Computers connected to the devices in the local network. In Fog Computing solutions, instead, the data processing activities take place on a network of computing elements (hub, node, router, edge computer, smart device or gateway): the microprocessors on IoT gateways, or on edge computers or personal computers, connected to the LAN, which constitute the fog nodes of the LAN, which could be physically far from the sensors and actuators. In addition, usually the “fog” paradigm prefers “open” technologies while the more flexible “edge” paradigm usually uses both “open” and “proprietary/licensed” technologies. From risk analysis point of view, edge computing could be preferable to fog computing as it potentially contains fewer elements in which a failure could occur. In fact, in the “fog” architecture each sensor or device within the network must be programmed to determine what kind of information should be stored and processed locally and what should be sent to the cloud for further processing and/or storage. However, the difference is not so pronunced, so both Edge and Fog Computing approaches allow lower latency than Cloud computing and therefore are more suitable for the rapid analysis required in real-time or near-time applications. Cloud computing instead, offers superior and advanced processing capabilities, superior processing power and storage capacity and therefore is the most suitable technology for complex and in-depth long-term data analysis. Another important difference relates to internet use and security : cloud computing requires 24/7 Internet access , while the other two can work offline. Therefore, fog and edge computing are best suited for use cases where IoT sensors may not have seamless connectivity to the Internet. Regarding the security issue, since the data is distributed between the nodes (Fog computing) or in the device itself (Edge computing), it is more difficult to manipulate them -despite the centralized cloud system – but on the other hand, the use of cloud computing is preferred in case security policies are implemented on a single data repository (instead of multiple repositories distributed in the network). Thanks to the use of different data centers and small devices, the probability that a violation interrupts the entire network is reduced. Studies reveal that more than 50% of U.S. companies consider rapid and accurate data collection and analysis to be an essential aspect of their strategy, so it seems unlikely that this is just a passing fad. Statistics also show that the market for edge computing services is set to increase by 50% in the next year, especially with the rise of AI technology that requires fast machine learning. Currently, about 10% of data is collected and processed outside of conventional cloud computing methods. However, a study by Gartner predicts that by 2025, about 75% of data will be processed outside the cloud. The global edge computing market by region covers 5 major geographic regions, namely, North America, Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Latin America. Companies that want to ensure a high level of competitiveness will necessarily reinvent the way they do business: the versatility and scalability of edge computing is perfectly suited to both start-ups and established companies, regardless of the type of company. It is well known that collecting, processing and analyzing data is a crucial success factor for companies, small, medium or large.
Call with Future con Sodalitas
Tera srl is proud to be part of Sodalitas Call for Future , the Sodalitas Foundation initiative that involves companies committed to achieving a sustainable future according to the UN 2030 Agenda, with particular attention to young people, citizens of tomorrow’s world. Sodalitas Call for Future gathers 150 concrete business actions that respond to four major challenges: Call for Planet, Call for People, Call for Work and Call for Better. Tera srl participates in Sodalitas Call for Future with the project “Beeta for School!” which aims to spread among students the culture of energy efficiency and environmental sustainability through a gaming app that stimulates them to live in a more conscious and balanced way, to reduce consumption and take care of the residential environment in which they live . Checking the trend of energy consumption, the impact of individual appliances and thermal systems on CO2 emissions, turning off unused devices, the benefits of the use of renewable sources in their homes (eg concept of prosumer photovoltaics), water saving, monitoring the level of CO2 in closed environments are just some of the activities induced by the project. The role of education as a vector of behavioral change amplifies the benefits by inducing the younger generation to involve the whole family. Sodalitas Call for Future promotes a dialogue between businesses and young people based on the common language of sustainability. The Together for Future competition is aimed at 2 million students in 7,500 Italian secondary schools, to help them discover the 150 business projects that are part of the initiative, and invite them to express their expectations and proposals for a sustainable future. All the corporate actions that are part of Sodalitas Call for Future can be viewed on the website sodalitascallforfuture.it, the digital platform dedicated to enhancing these initiatives so that they can be an example and an inspiration to many other realities. Sodalitas Call for Future is an initiative of Fondazione Sodalitas, in collaboration with : Fondazione italiana Accenture – digital partner, Omnicom PR group – communication partner, La Fabbrica – youth partner, Contrasto – visual partner, RUS – scientific partner, Legambiente – green partner, Walden Lab – research partner. Media partners: Adnkronos – Prometeo, Corriere della Sera – Buone Notizie, IGPDecaux, QVC Italia. Under the patronage of: European Commission, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, Lombardy Region, Assolombarda, Ferpi, Pubblicità Progresso.
Iot solutions for smart building and digital energy
Iot solutions for Smart Building and Digital Energy Tera Made in Italy solutions for Smart Building and Digital Energy are the result of decades of experience in research and development, design and implementation of systems for monitoring energy consumption, and are the result of ‘totally innovative and original approach with which IoT technologies are mastered. Tera’s products and services enable intelligent management of buildings and plants and contribute to the implementation of Energy Communities, Collective Self-consumption , VPP virtual production systems. In the field of facilities management and maintenance, the edge computing open approach enables the construction of infrastructures in which systems and devices …. read more