KNX Journal 2011-1

KNX Partners
Tampere University
of Applied Sciences
(Finland)
The Tampere University of Applied Sciences
(TAMK) has approximately 10 000
students, which makes it the third largest
university of applied sciences in Finland.
They have a fully equipped training room
in a TAMK-apprentice training centre.
This system allows learning a technical
building management system based on the
KNX protocol and also learning SCADA
systems based at OPC Server. We offer
KNX training to their institute’s own
students, including building technology
for students in basic education. Yet the
courses are also designed for all people
who would like to learn more about KNX.
Nowadays TAMK offers the basic KNX
Courses (since 2001) and certified basic
KNX courses. The advanced courses will
be available in the autumn.
Contact: www.tamk.fi
Van Drunen Domotica
(The Netherlands)
Van Drunen Domotica, Apeldoorn is a
training centre which focuses on a personal
approach: there are only courses
for small groups. The training centre is
designed to enable both internal and
external courses. The owner/trainer
has over 17 years experience with the
KNX bus system and previously worked
at a secondary technical school. Since
September 2010 he has been running his
own training center. The company focuses
on consulting and training and is the first
training centre in The Netherlands that
will provide KNX-advanced training. Van
Drunen Domotica also offers the option
of customized training, with the objective
that the client can successfully bring
KNX-technology into practice.
Contact: www.vddomotica.nl
Smart Home and Smart Metering
are on the curriculum at the
Technical University of Darmstadt
In 2007 and 2009, the Technical University
of Darmstadt as Team Germany
built two intelligent solar houses for
the prestigious Solar Decathlon in
Washington DC – an international competition
for self-sufficient solar houses.
The houses of the twenty participating
teams are constructed on the National
Mall in Washington DC and compete
against each other in 10 disciplines in
a contest lasting 12 days.
For the house “surPLUShome” that was
built in 2009, the challenge was to make the
house Smart Grid capable and to implement
Demand Response and Smart Metering. The
challenge was taken on in cooperation with
the technical partners of the project, ABB
and Crestron. The result was an innovative
KNX building control system which links
all the technical systems in the house.
surPLUShome offers Demand Response
or Demand Side Management and thereby
enables the adjustment of electrical loads
to the photovoltaic energy production
or to a dynamic, variable electricity tariff
of the electricity provider. As a result, the
Technical University of Darmstadt won
the Solar Decathlon 2009. In 2007, it won
the competition with its previous house.
This includes intelligent electricity meters
such as the associated Multi-Utility-Communication
Gateways (MUCs), which are
able to transmit their meter readings to the
electricity provider via GPS or KNX RF or
to the building control system for further
visualisation. Innovative systems are also
used such as the EEBus which originated
from e-energy projects. It is based on KNX
and forms the necessary interface to the
energy provider including control algosurPLUShome
From the Spring of 2011, the knowledge
and experience gained from both solar
houses will be on the curriculum. In a common
project between the TUD, ABB and
Crestron, a test stand will be constructed
which illustrates the complete building
technology of a Smart Home. It is linked
with the institute’s own photovoltaic system
as well as an electric car charging station
and offers the latest in building technology
which is currently available on the market.
46 Journal 1/2011