**Preface**

This book, titled IoT for Energy Management Systems and Smart Cities, aims to include the use of the latest technologies applied to the electricity sector, more specifically to smart cities/grids. IoT plays a fundamental role in the development of these networks.

The Internet of Things makes it possible for the information collected by the different sensors and actuators in real time to be available in the cloud so that it can be used instantly. This information will be of vital importance for the correct functioning of the algorithms and software that control smart cities/grids.

Communications play an important role in working with IoT devices. In addition to traditional networks, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Ethernet, new low-energy networks are indispensable for IoT devices. LPWANs such as LoRa, SigFox, Nb-IoT, Bluetooth LE, etc., make it possible to build devices that can operate in remote locations, thanks to their long range and low power consumption, without the need for a high power source.

With the information available in the cloud, in addition to the algorithms, users can undertake real-time monitoring of their installations in any location worldwide on their mobile devices or web browsers. It is also possible to act on installations in real time by sending commands to IoT devices.

Based on the previous paragraphs, it is possible to recognize the potential of this type of device for control and monitoring in industrial, domestic and energy generation environments. Distributed generation can be fed by all these technologies in such a way that they can be used for the progress and development of smart cities/grids.

This topic is divided into two main subjects: (i) the Internet of Things, cloud computing and wireless networks; (ii) smart cities and grids. The first of these deals with device communications, the networks they use and how they access information in the cloud. This allows data flows to be generated correctly. The second part of the topic is dedicated to the development of techniques, procedures and algorithms that can control smart cities/grids. This is one of the main applications of the devices created in this study.

Therefore, this book includes recent advances in the development and implementation of IoT devices applied to electrical engineering for use in smart cities/grids, so that readers can become familiar with new methodologies directly explained by experts in this scientific field.

> **Antonio Cano-Ortega and Francisco S´anchez-Sutil** *Editors*
