Importance and Utility of Energy Saving

Energy saving is an essential aspect of our daily lives, as it not only helps reduce electricity bills but also contributes to a sustainable environment. With the increasing demand for energy, it becomes crucial to adopt energy-saving techniques in various domains. Arduino, being a versatile microcontroller platform, can play a significant role in implementing energy-saving solutions. In this article, we will explore some practical examples of how Arduino can be used to save energy and provide instructions on how to implement these techniques.

Project: Smart Street Lighting System

The project aims to create an intelligent street lighting system that automatically adjusts the brightness of the lights based on the ambient light conditions. The objectives of the project are to reduce energy consumption during daylight hours and enhance visibility during nighttime.

List of Components:

1. Arduino Uno - 1x
2. Light-dependent resistor (LDR) - 1x
3. Relay module - 1x
4. LED strip - 1x
5. Breadboard - 1x
6. Jumper wires - as required

Examples:

1. Automatic Brightness Control:

   
   #include <Wire.h>
   #include <BH1750.h>

define LIGHT_SENSOR_ADDRESS 0x23

BH1750 lightMeter;

void setup() { lightMeter.begin(LIGHT_SENSOR_ADDRESS); Serial.begin(9600); }

void loop() { float lux = lightMeter.readLightLevel();

if (lux < 50) { // Turn on the lights with reduced brightness analogWrite(LED_PIN, 100); } else { // Turn off the lights during daylight hours analogWrite(LED_PIN, 0); }

delay(1000); }

In this example, we use a BH1750 light sensor to measure the ambient light level. If the light level falls below a certain threshold (50 lux in this case), the Arduino turns on the LED strip with reduced brightness. During daylight hours, when the light level is higher, the lights are turned off to save energy.

2. Time-based Control:
```cpp
const int LIGHT_PIN = 13;
const int LIGHT_ON_HOUR = 18;
const int LIGHT_OFF_HOUR = 6;

void setup() {
  pinMode(LIGHT_PIN, OUTPUT);
}

void loop() {
  int currentHour = hour();

  if (currentHour >= LIGHT_ON_HOUR || currentHour < LIGHT_OFF_HOUR) {
    // Turn on the lights during nighttime
    digitalWrite(LIGHT_PIN, HIGH);
  } else {
    // Turn off the lights during daylight hours
    digitalWrite(LIGHT_PIN, LOW);
  }

  delay(1000);
}

In this example, we control the street lights based on the time of day. The lights are turned on when the current hour is greater than or equal to the specified "LIGHT_ON_HOUR" (18) or less than the specified "LIGHT_OFF_HOUR" (6). This ensures that the lights are only operational during nighttime, saving energy during the day.