Engineering Solutions For Smart Cities

As fall is slowly approaching and days are getting shorter in the northern hemisphere, smart city lighting becomes increasingly important. In this context, let’s explore the Sicilian town of Giardinello 💡🌿. Giardinello has not only upgraded to modern LED technology but also implemented a digital management solution to optimize energy consumption. This smart lighting solution leverages the scalable and widely adopted LoRaWAN technology. Each streetlight is equipped with LoRaWAN-based control technology, ensuring high-quality illumination and monitoring of each light’s status. The data from these lights is securely transmitted via LoRaWAN gateways, which act as a bridge between the field and the network server. Beyond the hardware, Giardinello utilizes the IoT platform grovez.io, which offers both a LoRaWAN server and a lighting application as part of a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model. The web-based Smart Lighting Service allows for various control and analysis functions, such as dimming levels, directly impacting energy consumption, lifespan, and maintenance needs of the lights. This comprehensive approach brings several benefits for the customer: 🌱 Energy Efficiency: Reduced energy consumption through smart dimming and control functions. 💰 Cost Savings: Lower operational and maintenance costs. 🛠️ Enhanced Management: Easy management of entire areas through group formations and interconnections. 🌍 Future-Proofing: Potential for adaptive, traffic-dependent lighting control and environmental monitoring. Giardinello’s initiative is a testament to how smart technology can improve public infrastructure, paving the way for a more sustainable and efficient future. Find out more about these exciting applications and how a small town like Giardinello is already smarter than some big cities 🏙️👉 https://lnkd.in/evb2wTQT #innovation #smartcities #industrialautomation #sustainability

🌟 Transforming Urban Wind Modeling with Physics-Informed AI 🌟 Traditional methods for predicting urban wind fields, like CFD simulations, are powerful but often time-consuming and computationally expensive. But what if we could predict wind dynamics faster without sacrificing accuracy? That's exactly what the authors Xuqiang Shao, Zhijian Liu, Siqi Zhang, Zijia Zhao, and Chenxing Hu achieved in their paper: "PIGNN-CFD: A Physics-Informed Graph Neural Network for Rapid Predicting Urban Wind Field Defined on Unstructured Mesh." 🔑 Key Highlights: 1️⃣ Faster Wind Field Prediction: The PIGNN-CFD model delivers predictions 1–2 orders of magnitude faster than traditional CFD simulations. 2️⃣ Physics-Informed Learning: By incorporating physical laws (RANS equations) directly into the training process, the model ensures accurate and reliable predictions. 3️⃣ Scalability: It generalizes well to large-scale urban environments, making it a promising tool for urban planning, air quality studies, and climate resilience efforts. 4️⃣ Real-World Validation:u The model leverages data from wind tunnel experiments (AIJ) and validated CFD simulations created using OpenFOAM. 💡 Why This Matters: Accurately modeling urban wind fields is critical for addressing environmental challenges like heat islands, air pollution, and pedestrian comfort. By integrating advanced graph neural networks and CFD-based data, this study paves the way for scalable and efficient urban climate solutions. 📈 Implications: The PIGNN-CFD framework offers a glimpse into the future of physics-informed machine learning, where simulation time is slashed, enabling rapid decision-making for urban designers, environmental scientists, and engineers. 💬 What are your thoughts on the application of machine learning in computational fluid dynamics? Let's discuss! #PhysicsInformedAI #CFD #MachineLearning #UrbanWindModeling #GraphNeuralNetworks #AIforClimateSolutions Link for the Paper https://lnkd.in/dD7Tbihp

What comes first for cities: the #ElectricVehicle or the #ChargingStation? This question poses a critical paradox for city administrations. Our new Sustainable Cities and Society paper, 'Systems-based approach to public electric vehicle supply equipment expansion: An international policy analysis', digs into over 100 policies across #Australia, #Canada, #Germany, the #UK, and the #US to see how governments are tackling the #EVcharging conundrum. Spoiler: it’s not just about sprinkling #EVchargers around and hoping for the best. Early utility involvement, smarter data-sharing, and treating charging as part of a bigger #UrbanSystem (energy, land use, mobility, sustainable energy) are key to avoiding the #EV equivalent of 'phone booth deserts'. Read the full open-access article here, and a copy is enclosed for convenience: https://lnkd.in/gSd7x5Cc Kudos to my co-authors, especially Niklas Tilly, and Kenan Degirmenci and Alexander Paz for their outstanding contributions, insights, and teamwork that made this international policy analysis on EV charging infrastructure possible. QUT (Queensland University of Technology) QUT Engineering, Architecture and Built Environment QUT Urban AI Hub

Wow. If these numbers are correct by Luis Aníbel Avilés, then Puerto Rico is financially insane for not replacing all the old sodium streetlights with modern LED lights immediately, as it apparently has a less than 1 year payback, and could easily cost $0 upfront via an ESCO paradigm, and save $100 million per year - a savings which could go to MUCH better things than being thrown away on antique obsolete energy hog technology. ————————- Summary of article ——— Main Argument: Puerto Rico wastes $116 million per year keeping 600,000 sodium streetlights burning all night, even when unnecessary. This inefficiency persists despite legal mandates and available cost-saving LED technology. ⸻ Key Points: Current Waste: • 600,000 streetlights light up every night across Puerto Rico, consuming 433 GWh annually—nearly as much as all residential usage in Ponce. • Sodium lights (165W) cost $116M/year at $0.27/kWh. • Much of this lighting is unnecessary (e.g., deserted streets). Available Technology: • 60W LED lights with sensors exist now; they detect presence (cars, people) and light only when needed. • At 12 hours/night, one LED consumes ~31.5 kWh/year vs. 723 kWh/year for sodium. • $109M investment in LEDs would cut national demand by 420 GWh/year and save ~$116M/year. Legal Obligation Ignored: • Law 17-2019 (Art. 1.4(7)(b)) mandates rapid conversion to LED. • Six years later, no significant progress. • Energy Services Companies (ESCOs) can finance conversion at no cost to municipalities (paid from savings). Environmental & Health Benefits: • Switching would reduce CO₂ by 260,000 tons/year. • Equivalent to removing 57,000 vehicles. • Less light pollution helps ecosystems, reduces glare, improves stargazing and sleep. Security Myth: • Argument that “less light = more crime” is false. • Cities like Chicago and Medellín use dimmed or smart lighting with no rise in crime. • Studies show presence of people deters crime, not always-on lights. Implementation Failures: • No clear roadmap or coordination between LUMA, Energy Bureau, and municipalities. • Each town acts independently. • A single island-wide RFP or PPP (public-private partnership) could streamline it. Smart Lighting Advantages: • Adds telemanagement: detects outages, schedules maintenance, regulates intensity by zone. • Cuts 20% more in operational costs and extends lifespan.

#Publicationalert: Public Charging Infrastructure Pocket Guidelines 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗩 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗮𝗱𝘂’𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 When we began working with the six EV-ready cities of #TamilNadu — #Chennai, #Coimbatore, #Madurai, #Trichy, #Salem, and #Tirunelveli — one challenge became clear: stakeholders knew charging infrastructure was critical, but many were unsure of the exact steps. Questions came up like: - Where do we begin? - Which land parcels should we prioritise? - How do we forecast demand across vehicle types? - What approvals are required, and from whom? To address this, alongside the comprehensive Tamil Nadu Public Charging Infrastructure Guidelines, the #Tamilnadu released the Pocket Guidelines — a concise, 30-page reference in English and Tamil. Formally adopted by the Department Of Industries Commerce Government Of Tamil Nadu and Guidance Tamil Nadu, the guidelines will now guide coordinated action across #TNGECL, #TNPDCL, Urban Local Bodies, and other departments. We at ITDP - India will continue supporting this effort to ensure that EV charging infrastructure is developed in line with these standards — making adoption easier, faster, and safer across Tamil Nadu. What does it do? It translates complex regulations into clear “what, why, how” actions for cities, utilities, and operators: 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 → tools to estimate how many chargers each city needs, by vehicle segment. 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 → step-by-step process for selecting optimal locations, integrating land use, traffic, and power access. 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 & 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 → collated technical and safety rules in one place for easy compliance. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 → cost components, business models, and revenue options for charge point operators. By simplifying the technicalities, the Pocket Guidelines help government agencies, ULBs, and charge point operators align quickly — cutting delays, reducing uncertainty, and accelerating on-ground rollout. For Tamil Nadu, where #EVmanufacturing is already strong, this is about ensuring #EVadoption keeps pace — and giving cities the confidence to act.   Gratitude: To the TN Guidance team: Darez A. | Alarmel mangai | Prabakaran Andi Saravanan | Renold Regan G | Shanmugapriya Murugananth I Vishnu Venugopalan I To the ITDP - India team: Sivasubramaniam Jayaraman I Sooraj E M I Bezylal Praysingh I Pavithiran R I Kashmira Dubash I Varsha Jeyapandi I Donita Jose I Aangi Shah #EVCharging #ElectricMobility #TamilNadu #CleanTransport #NetZero

Organising tenders for public EV charging infrastructure is a key tool for public authorities - national, regional and local - to shape the EV charging network needed to enable their citizens to switch to electric private or shared cars and vans. As part of the European Commission's Sustainable Transport Forum sub-group on best practices by public authorities to support the deployment of charging infrastructure, we've produced this new updated guide. Getting EV charging right - both in terms of planned locations and the ability of users to charge flexibly - is a key objective for public authorities, especially as grids increasingly appear to be a bottleneck in the wider energy transition. Concession agreements can be used as a tool to channel and direct (future) charging demand to areas with sufficient capacity or where grid upgrades are feasible or planned. Passing on dynamic energy prices and the benefits of DSO-led local flexibility programmes to end users will not only reduce their bills, but also deliver wider societal benefits - a key reason to get it right. (For more on this topic, also see Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)'s short public authorities smart charging guide by Dr. Julia Hildermeier and me: https://lnkd.in/gEtUd_XX) Using concessions as a tool, public authorities can ensure that public EV charging takes place in locations: ⚡ where grid capacity is available 👐 expanding access and improve accessibility ☀️ can be co-hosted with renewable energy generation 🚃 align with multimodal transit, parking vision As EVs mature, public charging network deployment may progress through stages: one after another: 📍 Strategic 🕸️ Coverage-based 📈 Usage-based Ensuring that chargers facilitate the ability of users to integrate their electric vehicles into the energy system (AFIR, Article 15.3) is another aspect that public authorities can address in a tender. Similarly, these tender requirements should include requirements for energy efficiency, modularity and upgradeability to extend the technical life of the charging infrastructure. Public authorities can also speed up the roll-out of public charging and reduce costs for all parties involved by coordinating with their local DSO at all stages. By forecasting and properly modelling (flexible) EV charging demand, the necessary (anticipatory) investments can be made as needed. Pre-approval and pre-application for grid connections before / during a tendering process can significantly speed up the actual deployment by selected charging point operators. One-step approaches, where the grounding and other civil works for the grid connection by the DSO, the installation of the charging point by the operator and the right parking / signage by the public authority are all combined in one go, are a proven way to save time and the scarce resource of skilled labour needed in the energy transition.

A CFD case study from Munich Here is a powerful application of CFD that hits close to home, or rather, your home in a city. Researchers from RWTH Aachen, TUM, and University of Edinburgh have used CFD to simulate how traffic emissions spread in the urban areas of Munich. LES approach has been used to capture the complex time-dependent behaviour of the 3D flow field due to buildings in a dense urban environment. They used MGLET (Multi Grid Large Eddy Turbulence) to model the transport of pollutants. Few points which pulled my attention: -they simulated pollutant spread from individual streets, assigning each a passive scalar. -used QGIS to map street network and generate STL data. -identified influential streets which contribute to pollution near the iconic Karlsplatz Stachus by using scalar. -highlighted recirculation zones behind buildings. This is not just about simulating wind, it is about designing healthier, smarter cities. CFD coupled with urban planning, traffic data, and air quality stations, can be a game changer. Link: https://lnkd.in/dUYi5bZB #CFD #UrbanPlanning #FlowIsBeautiful

Hearing plenty of talk amongst the public complaining about how LED street lighting isn't working for them. I am not a lighting expert. (A lamp maybe 🫣🤣). Wonder if the following was considered when implementing them. Would love some feedback... Transitioning from high and low-pressure sodium (HPS/LPS) lighting to LED lighting in streetlights is a significant move requiring careful planning and consideration. Some thoughts. Technical Assessment. First, assess the existing sodium lighting infrastructure. Evaluate the condition and compatibility of poles, wiring, and fixtures with LED technology. Understanding LED Characteristics. LEDs differ significantly from sodium lights in luminosity, color temperature, and light distribution. Understanding these aspects is crucial to select appropriate LED replacements. Spacing and Illuminance Considerations. Sodium lights, especially HPS, often have a broader spread of light compared to LEDs. Inefficient replacement can lead to uneven lighting. Re-evaluating the spacing of light poles and the directedness of LED lights is important to maintain consistent illuminance and avoid dark spots. Color Temperature Selection. LEDs come in various color temperatures. While high color temperatures (cool white) are more efficient, they can be less comfortable for residential areas. Lower color temperatures (warm white) are often preferred for their less harsh and more welcoming light. Energy Efficiency and Cost Analysis. LEDs are more energy-efficient and have a longer lifespan than sodium lights. Calculate the long-term cost savings and reduced energy consumption to justify the upfront costs. Environmental and Health Impact. Transitioning to LED can reduce carbon emissions. However, the blue light emitted by some LEDs can disrupt human circadian rhythms and affect wildlife. Choosing LEDs with a warmer color temperature can mitigate these issues. Maintenance Planning. While LEDs have lower maintenance needs, they are not maintenance-free. Plan for eventual maintenance and replacements. Light Pollution and Dark Sky Compliance. LEDs can contribute to light pollution if not designed and installed correctly. Opt for dark sky-friendly designs to minimize glare, skyglow, and light trespass. Public Engagement and Education. Inform the community about the benefits and changes brought by the new lighting. Address any concerns about changes in light quality or aesthetics. Compliance with Regulations. Ensure that the new LED lighting meets local and national standards for street lighting. Consulting Experts. Engage with lighting professionals and engineers for expert advice on the best practices in transitioning to LED lighting. By addressing these factors, one can ensure a successful transition to LED street lighting, resulting in improved energy efficiency, reduced costs, enhanced lighting quality, and better environmental outcomes.

Wind-Based Parametric Design in the Changing Climate Lenka Kabošová, Dušan Katunský and Stanislav Kmet This study shows how buildings can respond to wind using parametric design and CFD simulations. Through a case study in Stockholm, the authors demonstrate how architectural forms can be optimized to improve microclimates, enhance comfort, and turn strong winds into an advantage. Tools used include Grasshopper for Rhino and the Swift CFD plugin.