Smart in-building micro-grid for energy management

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The objective of the project is to combine power and communications over a single continuous wire, enabling advanced lighting control systems and Building Energy Management Systems that are easier and therefore cheaper to install and use ca. 50% less energy. The carrier for the power and communications is an intermediate Frequency AC (IFAC) power network. The consortium members Isotera (lead), Xsilon and Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) have complementary skills and knowledge adequate for the successful completion of this project. The combination of Xsilon's "Hanadu" powerline communications (PLC) technology with Isotera's IFAC system is potentially a breakthrough, making it a cost-effective (ca. 30% cheaper per node) alternative to wireless communication systems. The prime aim of this project is to create prototypes of the physical layer suitable for lab trials, design a model of the network for performance predictionand a new relay algorithm to reduce transmit power and improve network coverage. Key challenges are efficient contactless signal transfer, power consumption, node cost and passive links between IFAC loops.