Bonus at the end of the article | Infineon helps green buildings: energy saving and intelligent future

Latest update time：2024-10-24

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How much of your day do you spend indoors?

Going to work, commuting, eating, working out, sleeping

Imagine if these familiar life scenes all happened in green buildings:

• 办公楼里的自然采光将显著减少办公室能源消耗；

• Intelligent constant temperature system keeps you comfortable all day long;

• The efficient ventilation system in the gym greatly enhances the exercise experience;

• The restaurant enjoys a comfortable environment with lighting and air conditioning systems powered by renewable energy;

• When you get home from get off work, you can relax with automatically adjusted temperature and energy-saving appliances…

According to the International Energy Agency (2023), global buildings account for 30% of global final energy consumption, and corresponding carbon emissions account for 26% of global CO2 _emissions .

Buildings have a huge potential to be greener. Semiconductors play an important role in optimizing energy efficiency and saving energy: power devices, sensors and microcontrollers can help save a lot of energy, improve equipment efficiency and reduce losses in renewable energy generation.

Sensors, the nervous system of buildings

The sensor system is an important component of green buildings: it continuously collects data from the environment related to the operation and use of the building, and analyzes and interacts with the data. Sensors, actuators and controllers are connected together in all areas, just like the human nervous system, responding directly to signals and triggering specific reactions.

Infineon has many different types of sensors that can achieve this "intuitive sensing", including radar sensors, CO2 _sensors , pressure sensors and acoustic sensors, which constitute the nervous system of green buildings:

• Infineon XENSIV™ sensor series Intelligent air conditioners for heating and cooling, bringing efficient, healthy and comfortable experience;

• Infineon XENSIV™ PAS CO2 sensor Used to measure indoor CO2 _{concentration} , control fresh air on demand, control air quality, and help reduce energy consumption;

• Infineon XENSIV™ mmWave radar sensor Detects the movement of people in the room and turns on the device or switches it to deep sleep mode accordingly;

• Infineon XENSIV™ MEMS Microphones Record sounds, receive commands or inputs, and communicate. They are used in many smart devices (such as doorbells, cameras, smart speakers, etc.). Low power mode enables energy saving.

Energy from nature

Efficient renewable energy generation and heating is another key means of reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. This includes technologies such as photovoltaics and heat pumps.

● Photovoltaics: Large buildings such as shopping malls or office buildings often have large roofs where solar panels can be installed. The challenge is to capture as much solar energy as possible and transmit or store it without loss. Infineon ensures that solar energy is reliably and efficiently utilized, converted and stored through innovative and reliable technologies in inverters, such as SiC power devices and gate drivers, and through solutions for control systems, sensors and connection systems.

● Heat pumps: Heat pumps, efficiency first. The magic lies in the ability to use existing heat in the environment instead of generating it. Heat pumps transfer stored thermal energy in the soil, groundwater and air to buildings. This approach means that heat pumps consume less electricity than they ultimately provide – achieving a positive energy balance. Combined with energy storage systems, heat pumps can also regulate fluctuations in renewable energy generation. In addition, Infineon offers the entire portfolio needed to develop smart and efficient heat pumps, from power modules, gate drivers and controllers to connectivity.

Condition monitoring, predictive maintenance

By collecting data about building operations and then analyzing it, sensors can monitor the status of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment and detect deviations from normal values that could indicate degraded performance, increased energy consumption, or equipment failure.

In addition to air conditioning, elevators, valves and lighting are also important application areas for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance. Based on semiconductor systems and advanced software, they provide a seamless maintenance process and ensure trouble-free and efficient operation of building applications with reduced power loss.

Power over Ethernet technology helps green buildings

The introduction and development of the Power over Ethernet (PoE) standard helps solve the problem of low-power and high-power devices (such as IP phones, conference systems and Wi-Fi access points). This greatly improves the efficiency of energy use. Infineon has a long history of expertise in power technology and provides a highly reliable and efficient MOSFET product portfolio for PoE design.

Learn more about Infineon's portfolio for smart building applications

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Prize Guess

Guess which human senses Infineon's sensors are inspired by? (Multiple choice)

Hearing
Vision
Taste
Smell
Touch

Please leave a reply in the comment area. The first three readers who answer correctly and get the highest number of likes will receive exquisite gifts.

We will post the answers and announce the winners in the comments section on November 1st.*

*Infineon Technologies reserves the right of final interpretation of this event.

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