An open IoT services reference model for energy efficiency strategies (UrbanITA)

We are immersed in a drastic change of the energy model in our buildings, increasing their energy efficiency and making better use of resources. On the other hand, we are also witnessing a remarkable increase of ICT solutions in the built environment. Smart Building strategies are a crucial element in improving the energy performance of buildings, as the integration and optimisation of systems, energy storage and flexible consumption require intelligent, interoperable and integrated technologies. In this sense, the particularities of the public buildings in the building stock (use profiles, energy systems, materials used for their construction, etc.) represent, at the same time, a major challenge compared to newly constructed buildings, and an area with a great potential for optimising resources and increasing their energy efficiency in order to achieve Nearly Zero Energy Consumption Buildings (NCEB). The main objective of this project is the development of a reference model that allows the integration of services for energy management based on software platforms that enable the integration of relevant technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Web of Things (WoT). This model will be developed based on a previous selection of pilot buildings of the University of Almeria where the study will be carried out, establishing a methodology that allows the characterisation of their energy behaviour and the potential for improvement through automation strategies and the integration of Information Technologies (TIN). The project also seeks to study an interoperable solution for a reference architecture that allows the development of open services. This model has great potential for replicability to other university buildings and, subsequently, to other public buildings in the city of Almeria. The development of the project is aligned with the social challenges in “Digital Economy and Society” and “Safe, clean and efficient energy” of the Andalusian Innovation Strategy 2020 (RIS3 Andalusia) and the Andalusian Plan for Research, Development and Innovation (PAIDI 2020). Given its interdisciplinary nature in Computer Science and Energy, this project is promoted by the research groups of the University of Almeria “Applied Computer Science” (TIC211), “Solar energy resources, climatology, physics of the atmosphere” (TEP165) and “Solar energy resources, climatology, physics of the atmosphere” (TEP166). (TEP165) and “Automatics, Robotics and Mechatronics” (TEP197). The project will have a duration of 24 months.