We often think of technological progress as having a negative impact on sustainable development. Since the first industrial revolution in the mid-18th century, technological innovation has allowed humans to exert greater influence over natural resources. Coupled with the growing population, this has led to the massive use of raw materials and increased production, which in turn has led to a substantial consumption of resources and a massive increase in carbon dioxide emissions.
However, as IoT sensor technology and wireless connectivity technologies continue to evolve, the two 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 a way that reduces waste.
Here are seven applications that leverage the Internet of Things for sustainability:
1. Air pollution monitoring
Much of the global concern about air pollution has focused on the effects of ozone, particulate matter and other pollutants on human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that air pollution inside and outside homes is responsible for approximately 7 million premature deaths worldwide. The majority of these deaths (4.2 million) are related to outdoor pollution, which is a major environmental risk factor affecting urban and rural populations worldwide.
In addition to its devastating effects on health, air pollution has significant impacts 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. Companies now have a real-time snapshot of where air pollution comes from, where it spreads, and who and what is most affected.
For example, methane, the main component of natural gas, is a powerful greenhouse gas that accounts for 20% of global emissions. The largest source of industrial emissions is the oil and gas industry, which loses $30 billion worth of methane from operations each year. In this case, an air quality monitoring solution powered by a low-power wide area network (LPWAN) can give administrators real-time visibility into previously undetectable leaks in remote areas, as well as the ability to remotely control valves to prevent further methane leaks.
2. Smart energy management
While reducing costs and improving user comfort have always been top priorities in HVAC and lighting system design, customers and communities are increasingly placing an emphasis on 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, predefined way, resulting in wasteful phenomena like overheating or undercooling throughout the property. In this case, real-time, granular IoT sensor data enables on-demand, micro-zoned device control to achieve 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 submeters help provide consumption data across dispersed building areas or even on individual assets, especially energy-intensive assets. With these insights, facility managers can quickly identify and locate bottlenecks to take countermeasures.
3. Intelligent 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 solid waste will increase by 70%. Inadequacies and inefficiencies in existing bins and landfills can lead to the accumulation and illegal dumping of waste on city streets, with serious consequences for public health. 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 far-reaching implications. It helps solve the long-standing challenge of clearing schedules that do not match actual demand. Because the amount of waste generated by industrial and commercial facilities changes every day, garbage removal trucks often arrive only to empty half-full bins. Needless to say, this results in increased costs and wasted resources, not to mention the carbon emissions caused by too many waste removal truck trips. In other cases, bins may be filled before collection schedules, creating an unsanitary situation and the potential for more harmful emissions.
Wireless IoT sensors can solve these problems by delivering various real-time data from the bins. 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 should be processed daily and seasonally. Most importantly, the temperature and humidity data revealed useful insights into the microbial activity taking place 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 footprints. At the same time, they can make informed decisions about bin capacity and location to suit actual demand and avoid unnecessary overfilling.
4. Intelligent water resources management
Researchers at MIT say that by 2050, more than 50% of the world’s population will live in water-scarce areas. It is therefore vital that individuals, companies and municipalities find ways to reduce the amount of water 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.
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 a step further, connecting this data into building management systems could enable automated responses, such as shutting off water valves or HVAC equipment.
5. Smart Agriculture
Faced with severe challenges such as the explosive growth of the world’s population, the shrinking of arable land and natural resources, and the increasing severity of extreme climate events, the agricultural sector is under undue pressure. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global food production will need to increase by 50% by 2050 to feed an estimated population of nearly 10 billion.
Optimizing agricultural efficiency opens the door to a sustainable food production system that can meet 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 various agricultural practices such as sowing, irrigation and fertilizing in a targeted manner based on demand. With enough reliable data, predictive models can even be developed to help identify and prevent conditions detrimental to crop health. With IoT technology, farmers can also monitor the health of their livestock from anywhere and get immediate alerts on the first signs of disease.
In addition to reducing inefficient and error-prone human intervention, smart agriculture can increase yields while minimizing the use of chemicals, water and other resources. This, in turn, translates into higher productivity at a lower environmental footprint.
6. Fleet Management
There is growing concern about the environmental impact of different fuel types, particularly the impact of diesel engines on air quality. Combined with ongoing efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, fleet operators are under greater pressure than ever to ensure 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 produced by a fleet. IoT sensors powered by LPWAN can provide critical 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 speeds—all of which result in wasted fuel.
7. Cold chain monitoring
Approximately one-third of the world’s food is wasted, with much of this loss occurring in global supply chains. Overall, 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 settings in the food cold chain will accelerate the deterioration of food quality, thereby increasing food loss and waste.
Traditionally, people in the supply chain manually read and recorded the temperature of goods to ensure optimal conditions. This pencil scribbling method is highly error-prone, and the process can significantly increase the risk of product damage if logging is incorrect, not on time, or is not checked 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 certain threshold is exceeded, alerts are triggered in real-time to provide immediate mitigation and avoid any damage to product integrity.
While technology has plagued environmental sustainability efforts in the past, it has now become an ally in building a greener planet. Advances in IoT sensors and wireless connectivity enable individuals, companies, and governments to adopt energy-saving practices, use resources responsibly, and organize processes in ways that reduce or reuse waste.