Communications of the ACM
Innovative, Lower Cost Sensors and Controls Yield Better Energy Efficiency
A new wireless sensor prototype developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory could reduce the cost of collecting environmental data.
Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a new wireless sensor prototype that could reduce the costs of collecting data such as outside air and room temperature, humidity, light level, occupancy, and pollutants.
The researchers note conventional data collection technology currently is cost-prohibitive, but they say their sensor could reduce costs to $1 to $10 per node by leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive roll-to-roll manufacturing, a process that enables electronic components to be printed on flexible plastic substrates.
"If commercially available at the target price point, there would be endless application possibilities where the installed cost to improve the control of energy-consuming systems would pay for itself through lower utility bills in only a few years," says ORNL researcher Patrick Hughes.
The low-power smart sensors collect and send data to a receiver, which can capture data from many nodes and provide the information to the energy-consuming system. "This technology provides the information that enables ongoing continuous commissioning, fault detection and diagnosis, and service organization notifications when needed, ensuring optimal building system operations throughout their service life," says ORNL researcher Teja Kuruganti.
From Oak Ridge National Laboratory
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