Omniflow technology helps reduce carbon footprint

Environmental sustainability is a major focus of smart cities. Ensuring a more sustainable future, based on innovative solutions that address resource management, air quality, and energy efficiency, is one of the primary goals of the Portuguese company Omniflow. Specializing in creating products and software aimed at energy sustainability and renewal of resources, Omniflow launched the Smart Pole.

Founded in 2013, Omniflow has gained recognition for its work in energy sustainability, and for the innovative solutions it presents to the market, especially in smart cities. Omniflow's mission is to create a more sustainable world through energy from clean, renewable sources. Today, it has a range of various products with different functionalities that help cities around the world reduce their carbon footprint and improve the quality of life of their citizens. More than 2,000 products are installed worldwide.

The environment is one of the most critical aspects of a smart city. To preserve natural resources, cities must increasingly invest in strategic measures that safeguard the environment and reduce the carbon footprint, thus combating climate change and contributing to reducing environmental impacts, preserving biodiversity, and improving quality of life.

Opting to use electric-powered public transport, gentle mobility, or walking are simple daily acts, but they can make all the difference. In Omniflow the team developed the Smart Pole, which was built to help reduce the carbon footprint and improve the energy efficiency in the zone where it is installed. It is powered by wind and solar energy and has integrated energy storage and connection to the 5G network, which allows various devices to be connected.

This solution has "transformed a simple lamppost into a carbon-neutral device that can be used for various IoT (Internet of things) purposes", says the company's website. It holds several functionalities, from smart lighting to security cameras, parking assistance, electric vehicle charging, and database creation.

In Portugal, this project is implemented in different locations, from Lisbon to Matosinhos. At Lisbon Airport, for example, the Smart Pole was recently installed. The hybrid pole system can achieve over 90% reduction in energy consumption, offering the ability to monitor and collect data and host various functionalities such as a 5G network and computer vision driven by artificial intelligence models. It is increasingly common to see this type of product implemented in public spaces.