Baena, near Cordoba in Spain, is renowned for its olive oil production, a key economic driver. It has a 25 MW biomass plant that uses olive by-products for renewable energy, reducing electricity costs by 17%. However, its emissions raised concerns about air quality. Authorities had to assess whether the plant was the main source of pollution or whether other factors, such as traffic, had a greater impact.

To assess the impact on air quality, Baena installed four Bettair nodes with anemometers that measure NO₂ levels and pollutant dispersion. This allows correlating pollution concentrations with wind speed and direction, identifying whether emissions come from the plant or from urban sources such as traffic. By integrating this data into Bettair’s Cloud Platform, authorities obtain real-time information that ensures a balance between economic sustainability and public health.

Baena was able to accurately attribute the source of pollution, correlating NO₂ levels with wind patterns to identify specific sources of air emissions, which facilitated informed environmental control decisions.

Sharing transparent data on air quality and industrial impact increased community awareness and strengthened confidence in the sustainable measures adopted, reinforcing citizen collaboration and environmental monitoring.

The use of advanced technology made it possible to sustain the biomass energy transition without compromising public health, demonstrating that it is possible to balance industrial activity with environmental protection through data-driven sensor monitoring.