A Wind Tracking System with Wireless Sensor Network for Energy Conservation

Abstract

Factory buildings, pre-fabricated housing, and traditional terraced houses are constructed in a manner that involves an airtight condition along the length of these buildings, which inhibits the exchange of cool and warm air between indoor and outdoor environments. This results in stagnant and poorly ventilated indoor environments, as well as environmental issues such as poor indoor air quality. Present solutions for the ventilation of indoor environments are generally based on the installation of air conditioning equipment. However, the operation of air conditioners consumes large quantities of electricity, which creates high electrical costs for building management units. Furthermore, the operation of air conditioners is also associated with a variety of economic and environmental quality issues. In this work, we developed an active wind tracking system for building ventilation. In this system, wind speed and direction are measured and transmitted to a control system that controls the adjustable roof openings developed in this study. These openings are then pointed towards the wind using a set of interlinked equipment to draw airflow indoors, thus improving the air quality of indoor environments. This is expected to reduce the frequency of use of air conditioners and save energy.