IoT and Sustainability: 7 Applications for a Greener Planet

Traditionally, technological progress and environmental sustainability have seemed mutually exclusive. We often think of technological advances as having a negative impact on sustainable development. Since the first Industrial Revolution in the mid-18th century, technological innovations have allowed humans to exert greater influence over natural resources. This, coupled with a growing population, leads to massive use of raw materials and an increase in production, which in turn leads to a substantial consumption of resources and a substantial increase in carbon dioxide emissions.
The drivers of digital innovation and sustainable development have so far been irrelevant. One is driven by widespread technological changes brought about by the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and robotics, all of which promise to transform industrial and business processes. The other is driven by a combination of climate and environmental degradation and geopolitical instability, all of which require a new approach that prioritizes resource conservation and environmental governance, particularly the increased efforts to decarbonize the atmosphere.
However, with the continuous development of IoT sensor technology and wireless connectivity, the concepts of digital innovation and sustainable development have become mutually reinforcing. Businesses must embrace digital transformation and its business-critical insights in order to move to more energy-efficient practices, use resources more responsibly, and organize processes in ways that reduce waste. Modbus через RS485
Here are 7 effective ways businesses can leverage IoT for sustainable growth:
1. Smart energy management
While reducing costs and improving occupant comfort has always been a top priority in HVAC and lighting system design, customers and the community are increasingly valuing sustainable technologies. With energy consumption accounting for more than 40% of total energy consumption in commercial buildings, it's no wonder so many facility managers are looking for ways to optimize the efficiency of this system.
Until recently, HVAC equipment was often regulated in a uniform, pre-defined manner, resulting in wasteful overheating or undercooling throughout the property. In this case, real-time, granular IoT sensor data enables on-demand, micro-partitioned device control for greater energy efficiency. Additionally, leveraging occupancy data can reveal important trends in HVAC and lighting demand to optimize equipment planning.
When it comes to usage monitoring, wireless utility sub-meters help provide consumption data across dispersed building areas or even on individual assets, especially those with high energy consumption. Armed with these insights, facility managers can quickly spot and locate bottlenecks for countermeasures.
2. Air pollution monitoring
Much of the global concern about air pollution has focused on the impact of ozone, particulate matter and other pollutants on human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution inside and outside the home is responsible for around 7 million premature deaths worldwide. The majority of these deaths (4.2 million) were related to outdoor pollution, a major environmental risk factor affecting urban and rural populations worldwide.
In addition to its devastating effects on health, air pollution has a major impact on climate, water, weather, renewable energy, food and vegetation. Recent innovations in low-cost pollution sensors have enabled a new generation of air quality monitoring that provides actionable, high-resolution data at a fraction of the cost of traditional monitoring systems. Now, companies can get a real-time snapshot of where air pollution is coming from, where it is spreading, and who and who is most affected.
For example, methane, the main component of natural gas, is a potent greenhouse gas responsible for 20 percent of global emissions. The largest source of industrial emissions is the oil and gas industry, which loses $30 billion worth of methane annually to operations. In this case, an air quality monitoring solution powered by a low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) could give administrators real-time visibility into previously undetectable leaks in remote locations, as well as the ability to remotely control valves to prevent further methane leaks.
3. Smart Waste Management
As cities grow, so does the amount of waste we generate. By 2050, 68% of the world's population will live in urban areas, and the World Bank estimates that solid waste will increase by 70%. Insufficient and inefficient existing bins and landfills can lead to the accumulation and illegal dumping of waste on city streets, with serious public health consequences. At the same time, more frequent garbage collection means more air and noise pollution, traffic, and higher public costs.
Smart waste management is often discussed in a municipal context, but its benefits and applicability to businesses also have profound implications. It helps address the long-standing challenge of emptying schedules not matching actual needs. Because waste generation in industrial and commercial facilities varies from day to day, waste removal trucks often arrive just to empty half-full bins. Needless to say, this leads to increased costs and wasted resources, not to mention the carbon footprint caused by excessive waste removal truck trips. In other cases, bins may be full ahead of the collection schedule, creating an unsanitary situation and possibly generating more harmful emissions.
Wireless IoT sensors can deliver various real-time data of the litter bins to solve these problems. Knowing the current fill level of each bin, they can better predict when it will need to be emptied, as well as understand how much and how quickly each type of waste will be disposed of on a daily and seasonal basis. Most importantly, temperature and humidity data revealed useful insights into microbial activity within individual bins. Armed with all this information, businesses can optimize recycling programs for each waste type to increase efficiency and reduce transportation costs and environmental footprint. At the same time, they can make informed decisions about bin capacity and location to accommodate actual needs and avoid unnecessary overfilling.
4. Fleet management
There is growing concern about the impact of different fuel types on the environment, especially the impact of diesel engines on air quality. Combined with ongoing efforts to continuously reduce CO2 emissions, fleet operators are under more pressure than ever to ensure that their fleet-related decisions take environmental considerations into account.
Location, fuel consumption, idling time, driver behavior and vehicle health all play a role in the total emissions generated by a fleet. IoT sensors powered by LPWAN can provide key insights into these metrics to better optimize routes, improve driving behavior and ensure timely vehicle maintenance.
For example, real-time location data allows for more precise and responsive route planning, which reduces the time vehicles spend idling in traffic. Likewise, IoT sensors can be configured to identify and track sudden acceleration or braking, speeding, high-speed turns, frequent stops and slow driving—all of which lead to wasted fuel.
5. Intelligent water resource management
More than 50 percent of the world's population will live in water-scarce areas by 2050, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is therefore critical that individuals, companies and municipalities find ways to reduce the amount of water that is wasted each year. On average, 85% of properties waste 35% of their water usage through leaks. At the municipal level, pipe leaks can account for 20-30% of total drinking water consumption. последовательный конвертер rs232 в wifi
Advances in IoT sensors and wireless connectivity have dramatically reduced the cost of collecting, storing and analyzing data from specific devices such as pumps or valves or entire processes such as water treatment or irrigation. Sensors can monitor water levels, control water quality, and be used to detect leaks. For example, by installing leak detection sensors throughout a building or in high-risk areas of a factory, facility managers can be alerted at the first sign of a leak, allowing them to take remedial action. Taking this data a step further, linking this data into building management systems could enable automated responses, such as shutting off water supply valves or HVAC equipment.
6. Smart agriculture
The agricultural sector is under undue pressure in the face of the daunting challenges of exploding world population, dwindling arable land and natural resources, and increasing severity of extreme weather events. Global food production will need to increase by 50% by 2050 to feed a projected population of nearly 10 billion, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Optimizing agricultural efficiency opens the door to sustainable food production systems capable of meeting global demand while reducing resource use and environmental footprint. Smart farming systems are powered by wireless sensors that provide real-time data on soil conditions and various external factors that affect crop growth. An analytics platform then processes this data to perform targeted farming practices such as seeding, irrigating and fertilizing as needed. With enough reliable data, predictive models can even be developed to help identify and prevent conditions that are detrimental to crop health. With IoT technology, farmers can also monitor the health of their livestock from anywhere and get instant alerts on the first signs of disease.
In addition to reducing inefficient and error-prone human intervention, smart farming can increase yields while minimizing the use of chemicals, water and other resources. In turn, this translates into higher productivity with a lower environmental footprint.
7. Cold chain monitoring
About one-third of all food produced globally is wasted, with most of this loss occurring in global supply chains. In total, this equates to 1.6 billion tons of food, worth about $1.2 trillion.
Temperature is considered the most important factor affecting food quality. Improper temperature control and setting in the food cold chain can accelerate the deterioration of food quality, thereby increasing food loss and waste.
Traditionally, people in the supply chain manually read and record the temperature of goods to ensure optimal conditions. This pencil-scribing method is extremely error-prone, and the process can significantly increase the risk of product damage if logging is incorrect, not on time, or left unchecked at all.
Smart Cold Chain provides end-to-end supply chain visibility from production and pallets to goods and retailers. Wireless IoT sensors can track environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity, air quality, light intensity, and other environmental factors from any location around the clock. When a threshold is crossed, alerts are triggered in real-time for immediate mitigation and avoiding any damage to product integrity.
While technology has plagued environmental sustainability efforts in the past, technology has now become an ally in building a greener planet. Advances in IoT sensors and wireless connectivity are enabling individuals, companies, and governments to adopt energy-efficient practices, use resources responsibly, and organize processes in such a way that waste is reduced or reused.