BUILDINGS OF THE FUTURE

- ELECNERGY
- K SANJEET CHOUDHARY
- ANANYA RAJAN
 Problem Statement
Usage of electricity is done on a massive scale in
every single building whether it’s an office, a
hotel or even apartments and homes.
Main problem is that energy is not used
effectively and a lot of it is wasted everyday
either in small quantities like in houses or in
large quantities like in large companies and
hotels.
 What Is our Solution
We are going to divide the complete solution
into two categories which are :
(i) Energy generation using piezo electric

material , turbine and solar panels

(ii) Efficiently using electrical energy using IoT

and sensors
 Energy Generation using Piezo Electric
Material
The monsoon season usually lasts for more than 3 months
and the rain falls at 10m/s with high kinetic energy. This
force of the falling raindrops(mechanical energy) can be
converted to electrical energy using a piezo electric
material such as PVDF polymer. These PVDF polymers
should be installed on the roof of buildings which must
also have drain holes to prevent damage of the piezo
electric material by stagnating water.
This method can effectively produce electrical energy
which can be stored and used whenever required.
 Energy Generation Using Turbines
This solution is a continuation of the previous method. Here, the water which is
stagnant on top of buildings is made to flow through a pipe which is used to run
a turbine at the ground level. Amount of energy produced by this method is very
high and efficient.
Pelton Wheel will result in highest efficiencies ( 70% ).
For a building with terrace area of 100 sq. m and region receiving 100mm of
rainfall a day and height of 50m;
Potential Energy per day = dVgH where d= density of water, V=Volume of water
accumulated, H=Height of the building . Therefore, for a single day in monsoon,
Power generated = 3.4 MJ which is very high.
Also, running water from restroom wash basins and drain can be directed into
the same pipe which will also help in running the turbine and produce energy.
The initial setup cost would be high but the amount of energy generated will
definitely make up for it.
 Energy Generation from Solar Panels
Instead of the traditional method of installing solar panels on the top of
buildings which is to be used by PVDF polymer , it can be installed on the
outer surfaces of offices or companies instead of having their exterior
made of glass.
For hotels, the windows can be made of solar panels which is exposed to
greater amount of sunlight if actually opened.
Latest technology also includes transparent solar panels which broadens
the range of application.
Initial cost is high but very low maintenance required and it is also very
reliable.
Only problem is that it can not function at night due to absence of
sunlight but the energy produced during the day time can be stored and
used at night if required.
 Making Buildings Smart using IoT
Energy must be used efficiently at all times and should not be wasted . Buildings must be
smart to ensure that wastage of electricity does not happen. The main component of
making buildings smart is the Internet of Things and motion detection sensors.
In Hotels , the lights all around the hotel are always on (exterior, corridors ,etc). Most of
the time , it’s not even necessary for the lights to be switched on, especially in corridors.
In order to save energy, motion sensors must be installed in each and every corridor of
the hotel which must all be connected to a central hub which will command the lights
based on the response of the motion sensors.
The hub should automatically switch off the passage lights after 12 AM as movement is
minimal .
When one motion sensor detects motion , this message is then sent to the hub which will
then turn on all the lights in the same corridor or passage and once no more motion is
detected, all the lights will turn off.
Half or more than half of the total energy consumption by corridor lights will be reduced.
This will not only lead to saving of energy but also huge cost savings to buildings.
 Continued…
A system could be incorporated in which the energy generated by the piezo electric material ,
turbine and the solar panels could collectively be used for a single purpose like providing energy
for the lighting units of the building.
Any additional energy required can be obtained from the power grid.
Another key method through which buildings can be smart and save a lot of money is by
obtaining a large amount of energy at the night time when demand is not at its peak as the cost is
lesser and can be stored in massive generators which can then be used to supply power to the
building.
Also in rooms in hotels , most of the lights are switched on even when not required and the same
motion sensors and hub mechanism can be used to turn off the lights when not required (for
example – restrooms).
Air conditioning is one of the major users of energy in buildings but there is a solution to reduce
power usage.
In a room when the air conditioner is on , after the room reaches a certain temperature, the
temperature setting of the air conditioner must be increased slightly to reduce power usage
slightly and again lowered when temperature of room starts to change.
All this is using IoT and all this makes buildings smarter than ever.
 Team Profile
Elecnergy consists of two participants from India who
are Sanjeet Choudhary and Ananya Rajan .
Sanjeet will be starting his fourth and final year of
bachelors in Mechanical engineering in June and
Ananya will be starting her final year in Biomedical
engineering at the same time.
Both of us are from SSN college in Chennai and are
motivated and determined to make a change in the
energy industry as it has always been a passion of ours
to reduce energy consumption.
 CONCLUSION
Innovative methods for energy generation have
been explained out of which the turbines and solar
panels can be used throughout the year but PVDF
can only be used for 3 months during monsoon.
The methods for energy savings are very feasible
and easily doable by installing sensors.
Therefore , this is our idea of making buildings
smart .
Thank You.