Signal 4: Look at how ridiculous your surrounding infrastructures can be.
Despite our increasing emphasis on the concept of resource conservation, waste around us is still very common and serious. Researchers and companies are exploring how artificial intelligence could assist in reducing our daily carbon footprint.
Look at this water filter, this is the water filter in CUSP building (370 Jay Street). First of all, does this water filter really helps save disposable cups or plastics bottles? We could still use these as a container. Second, the light and the counter on the right is totally useless. Infrastructures like this can cost waste.
Founded in 2011, California-based Verdigris Technologies offers a cloud-based software platform that claims to leverage artificial intelligence to help clients optimize energy consumption. Smart sensors are directly attached to the client’s electrical circuits, the data captured by the sensors is sent to the client on a dashboard. The AI would identify energy inefficiencies in the client’s facilities[1].
In a Verdigris case study [2], the Verdigris enabled the W Hotel in San Francisco to find previously invisible problems in their commercial kitchen, saving more than $13,000/year.
In order to achieve the full benefit of AI energy saving products. Regulators need to understand the potential power of AI and support relevant program as much as they could. They could also start using these products and visualize there energy consumption data to show to the public how these products could help with energy consumption.
[1] Sennaar, K. (2017, November 16). Artificial Intelligence for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy — 6 Current Applications -. Retrieved from https://www.techemergence.com/artificial-intelligence-for-energy-efficiency-and-renewable-energy/
