On the path to a Net Zero Emission Campus

The world is facing a climate crisis, and we're feeling its impact every day. With carbon emissions skyrocketing due to industrialization and overuse of resources, it's clear we need to find sustainable energy alternatives to secure our future. The 2023 G20 summit in India has become a pivotal platform, bringing nations together to agree and commit to global carbon neutrality and boost renewable energy efforts.

Meanwhile, an ambitious group of 4 students from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering department of TKMCE decided to take up this challenge driven by their commitment to a sustainable future. They decided by starting at the grassroots. What better place to start if not their own college? The Zero Watt Energy Intelligence System is a revolutionary idea that aims to revolutionize how energy is managed within the college premises.

Zero Watt Energy Intelligence System for a Net Zero Emission Campus

Zero Watt Energy Intelligence System is an innovative idea that aims at transforming the campus into a self-sustaining campus. Revolutionizing our idea about energy consumption. This advanced hardware solution transforms the understanding of energy consumption,providing real-time insights and actionable data for informed decision-making.

The students, Athira Ajayan, Siddhi Harikumar, Smrithi S, and Fathima R of the EEE department, decided to move forward with a hardware and software project, fueled by their enthusiasm to partner with a company like Alphageek Enterprises Private Limited, a leader in energy intelligence solutions.

How does Zero Watt Energy Intelligence System work?

The project involves the installation of Zero Watt Plus smart energy monitors around the campus to the panel boards in designated feeders. These monitors will help measure the direct electrical data measurement, with continuous data uploading to a server via WiFi, and an AI algorithm processes this data and presents clear analysis that will be accessible through web dashboards and mobile applications. This dashboard will help the college not only to access live data but also empower them to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.

Alphagreek’s AI algorithm is used to carefully analyze data from ZeroWatt Energy Monitors and provides key information that helps improve energy use, cut costs, and boost efficiency in institutions. Through this data, we can identify which areas require more energy and which require less. This will help us understand patterns and requirements. With this information, the team can implement various green energy solutions to transform the campus into a net-zero campus.

What are the intentions of the TKMCE students in choosing this project?

There are mainly 2 intentions in mind when working on the project. The first one is to turn TKM College of Engineering into a Net Zero Campus. Now, you may be wondering what a Net Zero Campus is. A campus that produces the energy needed for its requirements is known as a net zero campus. It can be through several methods like solar, electric vehicles, etc.

The second intention is to reduce the carbon footprint and make the campus carbon neutral. The idea of carbon net zero, or carbon neutrality, is all about balancing the greenhouse gases we release into the atmosphere with the amount we take out or offset so that the overall emissions end up at zero. This involves finding out the carbon footprint of the campus, analyzing it, and bringing up innovative green initiatives to tackle it. Plus, this project can also be clustered with other campuses and organizations.

The Zero Watt Energy Intelligence system can be taken as a great example for a transition from conventional energy consumption into a greener and sustainable energy consumption. The factors that need to be considered for this project to work out are the investment, the area, and the permission or grant to start operations. This may be from the college as well as the government electricity board, which transfers the existing energy source.

IEEE Life Member Affinity Group chose TKMCE as the campus to execute this project and mark it as a successful working example so that this same technology can be implemented in other campuses around the country.

In essence,

The project represents a progressive move to the global push for carbon neutrality, aligning initiatives within their college with a larger commitment to environmental care. By integrating cutting-edge technology and forming collaborative partnerships, the group aims to set a new standard for intelligent energy management and make a significant contribution to a sustainable and resilient future.