Page 327 - From Smart Grid to Internet of Energy

Internet of things for smart grid applications Chapter 7 291

to imply this infrastructure used in public services in some occasions. The IoT,
IoE and urban IoT applications include conventional public services such as
intelligent transport, parking, street and traffic lighting, control and manage-
ment of energy systems, waste management, environmental monitoring, health-
care services, medical help, structural health monitoring (SHM) systems, and
many other [28, 29].
Environmental concerns such as climate change, carbon emission, green-
house gas effects have attracted much attention for monitoring, predicting,
and management requirements. The urban IoT has contributed several capabil-
ities to legacy monitoring and management systems including management
information system (MIS), and environmental information system (EIS), geo-
graphical information system (GIS), global positioning system (GPS) used for
environmental factors. Fang et al. surveyed EISs and proposed an integrated
information system (IIS) for environmental monitoring [56]. An environmental
condition monitoring system that is based on similar strategy with ZigBee and
WSN infrastructure has been proposed for home appliances [57]. Both studies
have been implemented considering a scheme as shown in Fig. 7.10 where data
acquisition processes are performed by using RFID, WSN, and other sensor-
based interfaces, a metering and communication system, and a remote monitor-
ing interface comprised by an application or device.
WSN is obviously one of the key interfaces of IoT applications that are also
widely used in urban IoT for smart city applications. SHM is an emerging appli-
cation that is integrated to the existing structures to detect risk levels where five
topics are followed as detection, localization, classification, assessment, and
prediction. Industrial plants, residences, and social places are monitored and
are characterized in terms of energy and grid operations in urban IoT applica-
tions. Building Automation and Control Networks (BACnet) is a web-based and
proprietary solution that is used in aforementioned automation systems in addi-
tion to ZigBee or WSN based monitoring and management applications. It is
remarked in [58] that BACnet employs a set of alternatives to ZigBee in terms
of IP technology by employing a virtual link layer (VLL) by adapting the under-
lying network and transport protocols.
As discussed earlier, smart city concept should deal with several technical
challenges. A hierarchical layer structure that is called smart city infrastructure
(SCI) has been proposed in [59]. Four layers have comprised the SCI where the
first one is comprised by IoT to perform context management, ICT infrastruc-
ture, and computational methods. The second layer includes smart home that
integrates smart services and user interfaces via a server. The third layer has
been defined as Cloud of Things (CoT) that associate smart home and services
of smart city that are located in the last layer. Layer 4 includes additional service
infrastructures, resource management systems, and integration to IoT commu-
nication systems. It has been noted that well designed CPS systems in an IoT
environment can increase energy efficiency, enhance the safety in city, and
can increase the comfort at smart homes. The proposed middleware approaches