Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) frameworks have become a focus in the private and public sectors. At the same time, Internet of Things (IoT) devices are seeing greater demand for their ability to carefully monitor, understand, and manage environmental conditions, and promote a shift to more sustainable practices.
IoT networks for businesses and governments are expected to increase exponentially soon due to possible use cases in air, water, energy, trash, and other environmental concerns. To support these networks, organizations will need to update their data lifecycle management strategies while investing in larger, more reliable data storage infrastructure.
Role of IoT in Environmental Monitoring
Environmental changes happen gradually over time, which can lead to them being overlooked until they’ve turned into problems that require urgent attention.
From excessive pollution levels to inefficient energy consumption, environmental issues can lead to increased costs, compliance concerns, and other inefficiencies. By deploying IoT devices to monitor these conditions, organizations can continuously gather and monitor environmental conditions to detect abnormalities and other concerns faster than ever before.
Through a combination of automated monitoring and expert-led evaluation, data from environmental IoT monitors can support better, more responsive decision-making that helps organizations meet and beat their sustainability goals.
Types of Environmental Monitoring Devices
Depending on the types of environmental data you’re collecting and how frequently, your organization may require many different IoT monitoring devices. These types of these devices can be placed broadly into one of two categories: acute data collection or continuous monitoring.
Devices used for acute monitoring may include meters, field kits, and samplers designed to periodically check environmental conditions. Instead of collecting data constantly, these are designed for occasional data collection. A field kit, for example, may be used to monitor the contents of waste materials on a set schedule. A meter may be referenced monthly or more frequently to track energy consumption.
In other cases, continuous data collection will be required to monitor environmental changes in real time. Sondes (also referred to as moles or beacons), sensors, and other IoT data loggers can constantly collect information so it can be stored and used for reference. Automated monitoring, along with expert evaluators, may be used for real-time surveillance of environmental conditions.
Continuous monitoring may be required in cases where sudden changes require an immediate response, as in the case of toxic gas detection or poor air quality.
Environmental Monitoring and Sustainable Practices
When combined with sustainable infrastructure and operations, environmental monitoring can help businesses adopt sustainable practices that meet regulatory requirements and create new value.
Air Quality
Air quality sensors can increase an organization’s understanding of how its operations contribute to local air pollution. This monitoring can keep the business in compliance with local regulations and identify opportunities to improve its sustainability efforts.
Data from IoT air quality sources can help detect failing equipment, alert workers and other affected individuals to take protective action, and identify opportunities to invest in more efficient equipment and processes that reduce the environmental impact on air quality.
Water Quality
Sondes, data buoys, and other IoT sensors can monitor water quality in a business facility and external environments at risk of pollution from runoff.
Real-time monitoring can collect data on this water quality for required compliance reporting and to support more responsive management of facilities. Automated monitoring can expedite intervention to reducethe extent of pollution, helping companies save facility costs and avoid regulatory penalties.
Energy Consumption
IoT sensors can monitor equipment and facilities for high energy consumption, including activity that runs the risk of overheating equipment or creating other hazards.
Data collected from these sensors can be used to guide more efficient energy usage, as well as investments into lower cost, renewable energy sources.
Waste Management
Waste bins equipped with IoT sensors enable more efficient waste collection based on need rather than rigid schedules. Smart dumpsters and waste bins can also monitor bin location and temperature to address theft and identify potential safety issues.
IoT monitoring for waste management can address one of the most pervasive urban challenges: optimizing waste collection routes to lower costs while maintaining sanitary conditions citywide.
Toxic Gas Detection
Toxic gas can pose a potentially life-threatening risk to everyone close to it. Natural gas and other flammable, toxic gasses can be detected by IoT sensors that can automatically issue an alert and subsequently trigger actions, including vacating a facility, contacting emergency response services, and/or shutting off the source of those leaks, if possible.
Impact of IoT on ESG Goals
In a time when many customers and citizens prioritize sustainability, IoT environmental monitoring can have a wide range of positive business effects, including reduced operational costs, support for compliance, and enhanced company reputation. These benefits depend on how the technology is implemented and how the data is used.
The following are some ways environmental monitoring helps your firm achieve its ESG goals:
Optimizing Energy Usage
When deployed across your entire infrastructure, IoT sensors can collect energy data and make it available to an analytics solution capable of identifying consumption trends and inefficiencies. Energy usage can be evaluated across your business and down to individual appliances, offering comprehensive insights to guide your energy management strategies.
These policies may include moving certain energy workloads to off-peak hours, investing in more energy-efficient equipment and processes, and developing campaigns to enlist the help of employees to curb non-essential energy usage.