Applications of Computing in Industry : Lecture

The global aim of the Smart Grid Demo Lab project was to build a software infrastructure integrating both ABB Smart Grid Solutions and third-party products, in order to provide a common platform to support R&D activities involving the next generation of power networks (smart grids). To this end, an auto-configuring, agent based software architecture has been deployed on several gateways connecting appliances, meters and a building automation system to a central software infrastructure, thus resulting in a complete, albeit local, smart grid. The agents are responsible for providing access to all the datapoints of the system (in a publish/subscribe fashion) as well as sending commands to the active components (i.e. actuators like switches, blinder motors and radiators). The system can be controlled through a domain specific language, recognise spoken commands and adapt itself to the behaviour and preferences of the users, helping them save energy and maximise their comfort.

Ettore Ferranti is a Research Scientist with the Software Technologies group at ABB Corporate Research in Baden, Switzerland, since 2009. He worked on projects involving smart grids, embedded devices and integration of renewable energies. His main interests lie in service oriented architectures, large scale data sensing and collection, multi-agents systems and mobile sensor networks. He obtained his DPhil (PhD) in Computer Science on 2009 at the University of Oxford, UK, where he was a member of New College. He was also a visiting researcher at the Department of Computer Science of the University College London. He received his MSc (Laurea Specialistica) and BSc (Laurea Triennale) degrees in Computer Engineering at the University of Bologna, Italy, in 2005 and 2003, respectively.