Tesis y Tesistas 2020 - Postgrado - Fac. de Informática - UNLP

DOCTORADO EN
CIENCIAS INFORMÁTICAS
Dr. Sergio Hernán
Rocabado Moreno
e-mail
srocabado@di.unsa.edu.ar
Advisor
Dr. Carlos Cadena
Codirector
Lic. Francisco Javier Díaz
Thesis defense date
July 30, 2020
SEDICI
http://sedici.unlp.edu.ar/handle/10915/103588
Optimization of energy
consumption in mobile devices
for use in isolated rural areas
supplied with photovoltaic
solar energy
Keywords: Isolated area; Energy consumption; Mobile devices; Solar energy
Motivation
The isolated rural areas of Argentina are characterized,
among other aspects, by their low demographic
density, dispersed population, limited cellular network
coverage, and lack of basic services, including electricity
distribution. In these regions, the possibilities of
accessing digital information are practically nonexistent,
since it is very difficult to supply power to
computer equipment.
This deficit can be remedied through the use of mobile
devices, which due to their low energy consumption
compared to conventional computers, are a viable
alternative to enable the inhabitants of these areas to
access digital information.
However, the following questions arise: How much power
do mobile devices require to function? How to provide
power to devices? How much energy do I have in the
area? How to manage the available energy? Is it possible
to optimize energy consumption on mobile devices to
improve the use of available energy in the area?
In response to these questions, an investigation was
carried out with the following objective: Develop a model
and techniques that allow characterizing, reducing and
optimizing the energy consumption of mobile devices,
to facilitate their use in isolated rural areas, taking
advantage of available solar energy.
Thesis contributions
The main contributions of this thesis are the following:
• A procedure to reduce power consumption on a
mobile device when performing frequently used tasks
in isolated rural areas.
• A comparative study of performance and energy
consumption in different communication scenarios
that allow users in isolated regions to access digital
content hosted on Internet servers, using their mobile
devices and the data transmission services of the cellular
network. The results made it possible to establish which
communication scenario is best suited to isolated regions.
• Two models for use in isolated rural areas, the first
estimates the energy needed to perform frequently
used tasks and the second determines the energy per
hour available in the area. Based on these estimates,
it can be verified if the energy required by the device
is less than the energy available in the area, if this is
not the case, there are two possibilities to optimize
the use of the available energy: 1) Adjust the tasks to
be executed on the device to reduce consumption 2)
Modify working hours, to work at times where there is
greater energy availability.
• A prototype and a mobile application to automate and
facilitate the use of the models developed.
• A Pico Photovoltaic System that improves the use of
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