There is no doubt in admitting that technology has adversely impacted the environment in many ways. Issues such as global warming, climate change, carbon emissions, etc., are all caused because of the high carbon footprint due to the excessive and irresponsible use of technological inventions. Hence, creating a sustainable environment for our future generations is one of the most significant things that need to be looked upon in today’s time.
That is why advanced technologies such as IoT (Internet of Things) are gaining huge momentum in the modern world. IoT is a great technology that offers a technology-rich lifestyle with the least environmental impact. Leveraging the IoT solutions, whether for industries or homes, consumers can enjoy improved connectivity and efficient services while reducing energy waste and moving towards greater sustainability goals.
So through this blog, let us comprehend how IoT and sustainable environment correlates with each other.
How does IoT serve as an ideal solution to reduce the carbon footprint?
One of the biggest things leading to poor environmental conditions is increasing carbon emissions. From our cars to the air conditioners we use, everything generates carbon. To counter this challenge of increasing carbon footprint, one of the best solutions is the use of IoT devices.
Internet of Things facilitates automation, connectivity, enhances responsibility, and synchronizes various digital devices to ensure the technology works efficiently and does not brutally harm the environment. Buildings that are connected with IoT technology have optimized energy flows and generate the least carbon emission.
The use of IoT technology has become prevalent in many societies but needs more adoption from people worldwide. This can only be done by adopting lightweight IoT-platform solutions that come with their own toolchain and infrastructure. The global carbon footprint can be reduced by over 20% once IoT is fully operational and opted by a sizable amount of the population on the earth.
IoT Sustainable Solutions That Can Make A Difference
IoT is a powerful technology that is an optimal solution for a sustainable environment and to secure the future of the coming generations. Here are a few effective ways that can use IoT for sustainability:
- Smart Energy Management
Improper usage and wastage of energy are among the biggest causes of the high generation of carbon that people do regularly. Therefore, having a smart energy management system can optimize system efficiency and lower the energy needs of buildings.
This can be done by installing granular IoT sensors in the building that provide on-demand equipment control to enhance energy efficiency. Furthermore, it monitors the data and generates insights on discrete building areas that consume the highest power so that the facility managers can take counteractive measures.
- Fleet Management
Cars and vehicles are the highest carbon emitters in the world right now. However, if we integrate IoT-powered solutions into vehicles, energy consumption by them can be significantly lowered.
IoT sensors work by providing critical insights into fuel consumption, driver behavior, vehicle health, destinations, and many such factors that can be used to improve driving behavior, optimize routes, get timely vehicle maintenance and achieve emission of lower carbon content.
- Air Pollution Monitoring
The quality of air in most of the cities on the planet is decreasing with each passing day. Whether it is inside or outside our homes, we operate devices that cause a lot of air pollution. Not to forget the biggest contributor to surging air pollution, our industries.
Hence, it is essential to opt for industrial IoT solutions that monitor the machines efficiently and produce actionable data that can be leveraged for predictive maintenance routines and ensure lesser emission of carbon.
- Waste Management
Managing the waste in our homes and societies will be one of the most challenging situations in the coming future. This is so because most of the populations in the world will be moving to urban areas and leading to the accumulation of garbage that may cause serious consequences for the health of people.
But this disaster can be avoided if we take the right measures at the right time and establish a system of IoT sensors that can provide information on wastage and garbage in real-time.
Having accurate information on the fill level of a container, the amount of waste produced by a particular household, etc., can help facility managers manage the waste accordingly and work towards a sustainable future.
- Water Management
Illegal solid waste disposal and discharging of industrial effluents into the water bodies are major causes of water pollution. The same water is recycled and gathered for distribution to the households.
However, if we establish IoT sensors and wirelessly connect them to the various levels of water supply, there can be a significant turn in water usage. IoT sensors can detect leaks, control the water quality and ensure the wastage is done to the minimum.
- IoT Based Agriculture
IoT in agriculture can undoubtedly make things smoother and smarter for farmers. IoT sensors can be used to monitor soil quality and enhance crop production without severely impacting the environment.
With the use of IoT technology, crucial agriculture parameters such as food nutrition, solid condition, and hydration can be monitored in real-time, and optimized results can be achieved.
Top Use Cases of IoT in Sustainable Future
IoT and sustainability are the future of our planet and will gradually be adopted by every region of the world. However, people, businesses, and governments still need that inspiration to make that change happen.
That is why we provide you with top IoT platforms that make it happen for the people, households, and industries. Let us glance at a few of them:
- Intuz
Intuz is one of the leading IoT platforms globally that offers numerous pragmatic IoT solutions for small to mid-sized organizations and helps them manage their operations with higher efficiency and lower energy needs. Intuz provides solutions for all energy management needs and is one of the fastest-growing IoT platforms worldwide.
- Enlighted
Enlighted is an IoT-based company that helps buildings reduce their energy consumption and improve workplace comfort by installing IoT sensors. They establish an advanced Sensor Network in the office infrastructure that consistently checks various parameters like employee movement, lighting, etc., and enhances energy efficiency.
- Nest Labs
Nest Labs are determined to provide an optimal solution for the thermostat needs of commercial spaces. They use IoT-based, Wi-Fi enabled, and programmable thermostats that identify user preferred temperature and accordingly create that setting for the user.
- Maana
Maana is a prominent organization that provides various industrial IoT solutions to industries worldwide. They utilize a knowledge extraction process to determine the needs of the industry and accordingly customize IoT-based solutions for them.
- Sensus
Sensus is a US-based company that offers IoT-based products for cities, utilities, and college campuses that significantly improve control, measurement, and analytics of energy usage and help build a higher sustainable routine.
What is the future of IoT in regard to sustainability?
Sustainable development goals and IoT technology have a long way to go together. The World Economic Forum suggests IoT is a great technology that can turn back the harm we all have done to the planet and create a sustainable future.
However, currently, most IoT projects are small to mid-sized. Therefore, private and public businesses and institutions must opt for this change and play their part in building a sustainable future for the next generations to come.
Technology is always blamed for the deteriorating environment and causing harm to the life around. However, IoT is a powerful technology that can turn it around and become an ally in developing a greener planet. So we all must understand it as our responsibility and opt for IoT technology in whatever way we can and work towards a sustainable future.
Top comments (1)
Loved this article. I also think IoT, and event driven architectures in general, can be potentially fantastic for the environment. But not always.
Two challenges I see are that a lot of IoTs do not implement what I've called Green Mode Design, so they might be constantly on, on max specs, or constantly polling for new data, or not designed for delay tolerant networks.
The second challenge I see is that with so many protocols and approaches, interoperability can be a huge challenge, leading to enormous inefficiencies and duplications, and adding serious emissions through unnecessary data traffic. This is where something like AsyncApi could make a really big difference.