The language that, at European level, will enable the management of the demand for energy in the smart home has become reality. Developed and implemented by the associations Energy@home and EEBus and integrated within SPINE (acronym for Smart Premises Interoperable Neutral-messages Exchange), these days this new language is at the European Utility Week, in Barcelona; it is applied as a demonstrator to an energy manager that supervises the operation of a related products’ battery (a large domestic appliance, an electric car charger, an inverter for photovoltaic panels and a smart meter), thus simulating the scenario of a “smart house” of the future. The drive to its development arise from a project for the interoperability of domestic appliances supported by the European Commission.
«There is much talk about the internet of things, we feel its fascination, but we should not forget that this announced revolution will be really true only if it will be affordable within everyone’s reach, and thus if the technological devices, even of different brands, will speak to each other», the director of Energy @ Mark Signa explains.
This new shared code, applicable to different protocols, will enable the communication between the connected devices, even of different brands, with a domestic energy manager. When the connected devices of this configuration will be able to exchange information, the energy managers will optimize the use of energy, considering the availability of renewable energy sources (including the self-production with photovoltaic panels) or the best market rates. This is a possibility of growing value in the light of the development of the smart grids and the Demand-response.
«This language marks a crucial step towards the smart home - Signa concluded -. Too often, the standards’ fragmentation hindered the adoption and dissemination of innovative technologies. In the field of mobile telecommunications, the sharing of language has enabled great strides; we are inspired by this model in imagining the connected home of the future, where an increasingly complex technology, in its conception and realization, will be more and more easy to use».