Lessons taught and learned from the operation of the solar energy e-learning laboratory

The solar energy e learning laboratory (solar e-lab) in Cyprus is a good example of a web-based, remote engineering laboratory. It comprises a pilot solar energy conversion plant which is equipped with all necessary instrumentation, data acquisition, and communication devices needed for remote access, control, data collection and processing. The impact that the solar e-lab had during its nearly 5 years of operation is indeed high. Throughout this period, the solar e-lab has been accessed by users from over 500 locations from 79 countries spread all over the world. In the period of November 2004 to October 2008, more than a million visits were recorded, out of which 25000 have registered on the site and surfed through studying the supplied material. Around 1000 hits concerned registered users that passed the pre-lab test and performed the experimentation part. The four years of operation of the solar e-lab demonstrated how the Internet can be used as a tool to make the laboratory facilities accessible to engineering students and technicians located outside the laboratory, including overseas. In this way, the solar energy e-learning lab, its equipment and experimental facilities were made available and shared by a number of interested people, thus widening educational experiences. Judging from the online evaluation reports that were received from the solar e-lab users during the last 2 years of operation, it can be concluded that there is nearly excellent satisfaction by the users

The remote experimentation as the practical-oriented basis of inclusive engineering education

The challenges and solutions for inclusive engineering education are discussed in this paper. We propose remote experimentation as the practical-oriented basis to train engineers with disabilities in the fields of Computer Science and Information Technologies. The structure and the functionality of international GOLDi network that unites partner universities from Germany, Australia, Ukraine, Armenia and Georgia is given. The possibilities of REIoT complex for studying the features of embedded systems design and Internet of Things technologies as well as an overview of ISRT laboratory for embedded software development and testing are given. The presented Remote Laboratories are successfully used to improve educational services quality and accessibility as well as to strengthen the practical component of the learning process

Remotely Accessible Solar Energy Laboratory for High School Students

A remotely accessible solar energy laboratory has been developed for real-time experimentation using solar heating and photovoltaic equipment that is physically located at Purdue University. Indiana high school students are the first customers for this on-line resource. In addition to sensor data, the web-based laboratory includes lesson plans, tutorials, assessment questions, and a feedback utility. This project is helping science teachers meet new state science standards from the Indiana Department of Education, which call for hands-on laboratory activities and real time data analysis. Remotely accessed labs are becoming popular because they offer the opportunity for large numbers of students to learn from state-of-the-art equipment. The cost of expensive laboratory equipment is easier to justify if it can be widely used

Internet Predictions

More than a dozen leading experts give their opinions on where the Internet is headed and where it will be in the next decade in terms of technology, policy, and applications. They cover topics ranging from the Internet of Things to climate change to the digital storage of the future. A summary of the articles is available in the Web extras section

Use of Robotic Controls in Ergonomics Laboratories

International collaboration in teaching and research has expanded as a result of the widespread accessibility and use of the World Wide Web. While on-line education has experienced the greatest growth, the use of remote laboratories in research and teaching is relatively new. The development of a remote ergonomics laboratory using a new Internet technology is described. The purpose of the remote laboratory is to provide international access to an advanced thermal manikin technology which provides a platform for measuring the thermodynamic properties of protective clothing during exposure to controlled environmental conditions. To date, the laboratory has generated global interest and promoted international collaboration in ergonomics teaching and research

Development of Economic Water Usage Sensor and Cyber-Physical Systems Co-Simulation Platform for Home Energy Saving

In this thesis, two Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) approaches were considered to reduce residential building energy consumption. First, a flow sensor was developed for residential gas and electric storage water heaters. The sensor utilizes unique temperature changes of tank inlet and outlet pipes upon water draw to provide occupant hot water usage. Post processing of measured pipe temperature data was able to detect water draw events. Conservation of energy was applied to heater pipes to determine relative internal water flow rate based on transient temperature measurements. Correlations between calculated flow and actual flow were significant at a 95% confidence level. Using this methodology, a CPS water heater controller can activate existing residential storage water heaters according to occupant hot water demand. The second CPS approach integrated an open-source building simulation tool, EnergyPlus, into a CPS simulation platform developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The NIST platform utilizes the High Level Architecture (HLA) co-simulation protocol for logical timing control and data communication. By modifying existing EnergyPlus co-simulation capabilities, NIST’s open-source platform was able to execute an uninterrupted simulation between a residential house in EnergyPlus and an externally connected thermostat controller. The developed EnergyPlus wrapper for HLA co-simulation can allow active replacement of traditional real-time data collection for building CPS development. As such, occupant sensors and simple home CPS product can allow greater residential participation in energy saving practices, saving up to 33% on home energy consumption nationally

Improving the use of remote laboratories. The case of VISIR at Universidad Nacional de Rosario

The present work originates in the Project "Educational Modules for Electric and Electronic Circuits Theory and Practice following an Inquiry-based Teaching and Learning Methodology supported by VISIR", carried out with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme. Remote labs can provide a framework where physical experiments can be developed for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Although remote labs have been in use for over a decade now in several countries and levels of education, their use is not yet being generalized in Latin America. Through the VISIR+ International Cooperation Project from the Erasmus+ Programme, five higher education institutions from Latin America have incorporated de VISIR remote lab in order to carry out experiments with electric and electronic circuits. In the present work, the results of the study developed at Universidad Nacional de Rosario within the framework of the aforementioned project are shown.This work was carried out with the economic support of the European Commission through Project 561735-EPP-12015-1-PTEPPKA2-CBHE-JP and by Universidad Nacional de Rosario, through Project PID 1ING505.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Challenge of Digital Transition in Engineering. A Solution Made from a European Collaborative Network of Remote Laboratories Based on Renewable Energies Technology

Society currently faces two crucial challenges: digital transition and energy transition. Educative innovation plays a key role in this challenging scenario, particularly engineering careers, where laboratory practices are as important as theoretical classes. This paper presents a standardized training platform supported by five European universities which include a remote laboratory experience. Each university is responsible for developing a training module under the guidance provided by the responsible entity (University of Huelva, Spain). For this purpose, the University of Huelva has implemented a remote laboratory based on a supercapacitor power bank. The rest of the universities have selected any other renewable source and have replicated the information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure. The result is a European network materialized on a homogenized platform where teachers and students can find all the teaching materials (theory and practice) to train and to be trained in renewable energy matters in the new digital era.This research was funded by Erasmus+ Programme, grant number Ref. 2020-1-IT02-KA226-HE-095424 RE-OPEN project; ERASMUS+ Programme 2020-KA2; and the APC was funded by Ref. 2020-1-IT02-KA226-HE-095424 RE-OPEN project, founded by ERASMUS+ Programme 2020-KA2

UPORABA ROBOTIKE U LABORATORIJIMA ZA ERGONOMIJU

International collaboration in teaching and research has expanded as a result of the widespread accessibility and use of the World Wide Web. While on-line education has experienced the greatest growth, the use of remote laboratories in research and teaching is relatively new. The development of a remote ergonomics laboratory using a new Internet technology is described. The purpose of the remote laboratory is to provide international access to an advanced thermal manikin technology which provides a platform for measuring the thermodynamic properties of protective clothing during exposure to controlled environmental conditions. To date, the laboratory has generated global interest and promoted international collaboration in ergonomics teaching and research.Međunarodna suradnja u nastavi i istraživanjima porasla je kao rezultat raširenosti i dostupnosti globalne mreže. Iako je primjena e-obrazovanja iznimno poraslo, uporaba daljinskih laboratorija u istraživanju i nastavi relativno je nova. Opisan je razvoj daljinskog ergonomijskog laboratorija pomoću internetske tehnologije. Svrha daljinskog laboratorija jest da se diljem svijeta omogući pristup naprednoj tehnologiji manekena na termalno napuhavanje koja nudi temelj za mjerenje termodinamičkih svojstava zaštitne odjeće tijekom izlaganja kontroliranim uvjetima okoline. Laboratorij je izazvao opće zanimanje te promiče međunarodnu suradnju na području nastave i istraživanja u ergonomiji

Electrical Characteristics Inspection of Multiple PV Modules for Manufacturing Industry

This paper presents implementation of a real time system for inspection of electrical characteristics of multiple PV   modules from certain distance. PV module may have manufacturing defects which affect the I-V characteristics. In this work an experiment is performed in which multiple PV modules are kept in sunlight for inspection of I-V characteristics for a day,  their open circuit voltage and short circuit current are monitored from a distant node and displayed on computer screen. The measurements are taken after fixed intervals. Relay connected across PV module is switched ON and OFF to measure short circuit current and open circuit voltage. The measured electrical characteristics are monitored from distant. The characteristics are compared with known standard values and graph is displayed on workstation for examination. The system developed in this experiment offers several advantages like 1) it provides facility  to online monitor the characteristics  of multiple PV modules and compares it with standard characteristics 2) focus is on automation hence less human intervention is required  and 3) facility of inspection of  multiple PV modules simultaneously is provided in this work.