Matthew BoyleFundació Clima i Energia by Damal Redes and Valencia is using the Internet of Things ( IoT ) and decentralized wireless networks technology to collect real-time information about the wellbeing of its most vulnerable citizens. It is based on the LoRaWAN® ecosystem of the Helium Network.
More than 130 air quality sensors using LoRaWAN® have been installed throughout Valencia under the direction and installation of Fundació Clima i Energia, and more deployments are anticipated in 2024.
Energy poverty, a lack of adequate, affordable, and dependable environmentally sound energy services that affects 23 % of its households, is the formidable challenge that Spain’s third-largest city is currently facing. The inequalities brought on by urban living conditions, which have a clear and negative impact on health and wellbeing, burden Western welfare systems. Breathing diseases, heart attacks, stroke, mental illnesses, and serious health problems like hypothermia, injury, or the flu are just a few of the health complications brought on by energy deprivation. Valencia’s Fundació Clima i Energia has chosen to adopt low-cost, high-impact air quality sensor deployments for citizens, finally benefiting the welfare of the entire area. Energy poverty increases the risk of respiratory illnesses.
Information and Communications Technologies ( ICT) are the area of expertise for Damal Redes, a well-known Valencia-based business founded in March 2007. The Wellbased and Ebento projects are overseen and led by Fundació Clima i Energia in Valencia, with Damal Redes acting as their dependable modern partner. To combat energy poverty, Wellbased has dispersed 130 sensors throughout Valencia. Ebento, on the other hand, intends to install 52 sensors across two buildings in the city in order to increase energy efficiency in buildings. In order to provide information about the economic conditions in the participants ‘ homes, these projects use atmospheric sensors that measure clean temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 concentration.
IoT Technical Lead at Damal Redes Jose Antonio Hernández stated:
” We’ve achieved an astounding 98 % success rate in installing sensors in low-income residences and construction sites by leveraging the Helium Network.” This enables us to keep an eye on important information like weather patterns, CO2 levels, and more. No additional technology is capable of matching this.
Valencia advanced its mission by incorporating the Helium Network, the largest IoT network in the world. The Helium ecosystem is perfect for an extensive IoT infrastructure because it easily integrates with LoRaWAN® technology, which is tailored for battery-operated, low-power devices.
According to Abhay Kumar, CEO of the Helium Foundation,” we have the technology to address an equality issue that affects countless urban centers around the world and deprives residents of essential energy needs.” ” We can gain insights that are difficult to access with a unified system with Helium’s distributed, peer-to-peer mobile network.” Working with Damal Redes and LoRa Alliance ® member companies to deploy on the Helium Network in Valencia, enabling real-time environmental data that can lead to significant change, is satisfying.
Valencia’s trust in Damal Redes for its projects is clear given its commitment to cut greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions by 40 % by 2030 as part of the Covenant of Mayors initiative. The collaboration between Damal Redes and Helium is a step toward bringing about real-world change. This partnership becomes a crucial component of Valencia’s more comprehensive energy strategy as it develops as part of the larger movement against energy poverty.
The European Union provides funding for the Wellbased and Ebento projects. Collectively, the renowned LoRa Alliance®, Helium, and Damal Redes represent a step ahead in the fight against energy poverty. The partnership is evidence of a shared desire to implement modern technology deployments that are both low-cost and high-impact because they can advance both the public and private welfare of cities.
