Such devices will enable high-quality management of existing local ecological systems. This is stated in the National Technology Initiative (NTI) EcoNet market roadmap concept.
The use of devices is already possible now, since such “concierges” appear on the market regularly. But often climate stations are just a combination of humidification system, air saturation with ions and filtration system. It will take time to talk about the sufficient maturity of technology and mass services, experts say.
STI EcoNet is a market of personal environmental solutions and services based on effective, clean technologies for minimizing the impact on the environment. It includes: solutions for eco-monitoring and management of public areas by means of technologies; devices and box solutions for households and businesses; development of eco-education; creation of new materials for the national economy; support of transition to renewable energy; creation of ecomarketplaces and many other things.
On the one hand, no one disputes the direct dependence of public health on the state of the environment,” says Denis Konstantinov, coordinator of the EcoNet NTI working group. – If we pay attention to statistics, for example, reports of the consulting agency Finexpertiza, we see that even despite economic downturns caused by the coronary crisis, the number of cases of high and extremely high levels of atmospheric air pollution is only increasing, and significantly. The ecology of large cities no longer satisfies many; most of our time is spent in confined spaces: transport, the house, the apartment, the place where we work or study, rest.
In 2021, global greenhouse gas emissions increased by 4.9%: about 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide found their way into the atmosphere. In Russia, the lion’s share of emissions (almost 80%) comes from the energy sector, according to a report by the CSR Foundation, the Fuel and Energy Analytical Center of the Russian Ministry of Energy and the Situation Center LLC. Almost 90% of these emissions are from fuel combustion in the production of heat and electricity (according to the National Anthropogenic Emissions Inventory Report).
6.7% of all carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion are from motor vehicles (this includes personal cars of households). Private households account for 3.8% of all carbon dioxide emissions from fuel combustion, according to the report.
With the improvement of functionality of mini-climatic smart stations – comprehensive monitoring of indoor climate, assessment of threats and precise control of climate technology – human life will become more environmentally friendly. The expert emphasizes that already now climate stations can control from 6 to 23 parameters: air pollution by organic and hazardous chemicals, suspended particles, temperature, humidity, noise, electromagnetic, radioactive pollution, solar installation, and if necessary, even monitor the state of the human heart rate.
“But it is important not only to control the parameters, creating cloud bases and services to inform the owner, but also to counteract local threats and discomfort. That’s why we’re talking about climate concierges, capable of thoughtfully managing climate devices or solutions,” concludes the expert.
What climate stations might look like
“Habitat adaptation devices for climate change, we predict, will follow a path of transformation from large-scale devices
(greenhouse gas capture systems at centralized urban thermal power plants) to devices for streets and yards (artificial trees) and for home use,” said Mikhail Ivanov, head of the segment “Platform Systems of Environmental Life” EcoNet National Technological Initiative, professor of “Ecology and Industrial Safety” Bauman Moscow State Technical University.
The stations will be similar either to the filtration systems of general-purpose hoods in the entrances or compact devices for individual households, which are comparable with household filters for air purification. The expert argues that the devices will become more compact the more technologically advanced and more widely deployed the filter regeneration or collection, transport and disposal of captured gases.
“Such devices will reduce GHG emissions from household activities (food consumption, heat, energy, waste generation, transport activities) or increase their absorption more efficiently than natural green spaces,” Ivanov believes.
The development of climate smart devices (both personal and local) is popular all over the world. A huge number of applications for tracking your own carbon footprint and clean technology startups are being developed. In Europe, the U.S. and Canada you can buy such a climate station on the websites of manufacturers and on marketplaces. Often the functionality of the stations is similar: measuring temperature, humidity, air quality (different stations measure a different number of parameters), measuring the level of noise pollution in the room and reminding about the need to ventilate the room (ventilation). Stations can connect to a smartphone using a mobile app and become part of the smart home.
However, the stations still cannot be fully attributed to the climate concierges, because they have limited functionality and do not make enough measurements and monitor the environment in the premises. The cost of the devices is still high (from $150), while they do not meet all the necessary requirements of the consumer.
Where are they already used?
In some regions of Russia, the stations have already been implemented in the urban environment. ClimateGuard devices, for example, have been installed at some cultural sites. Apart from temperature and humidity they monitor dust concentrations (PM2.5, PM10), volatile organic compounds, noise pollution, electromagnetic radiation, etc.
10 monitoring stations are now working at the sites of UNESCO in the Vladimir region. They make it possible to detect climatic hazards for the funds, storage facilities and the buildings themselves, explained the head of “Klimatgard” Vladimir Ladygin.
The stations were also launched at educational and leisure facilities. “Not long ago we completed a pilot with the installation of stations in the Moscow Production Center. We evaluated the quality of the climate and allowed us to find environmental factors that can have a negative impact on the health and performance of visitors,” said Ladygin.
Another sphere of application is transport. The company has equipped one of the Moscow buses with the stations to monitor the quality of transport services in terms of compliance with climatic standards. The devices also detect smoking and alcohol consumption by the driver. Not so long ago the company compared the air quality in an ordinary metropolitan bus and an electric bus during the motion. The air in the electric bus was cleaner due to the air recirculation system, and there was less dust. But due to the recirculation system, CO2 accumulated faster because no air is taken from the street.
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