SUSTAINABILITY
Other environmentally-minded , efficiency-focused systems developed as a result of the IoT include electrical grids and gas distribution systems . Outages or supply interruptions are a headache for both consumers and providers , but smart grids – which are IoT-enabled – have the capacity to reduce these , aiding efficiency and , as a result , environmental impact .
MacLeod expands on an ongoing usecase : “ The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change has invested heavily into its smart grid vision and route map – building a smart grid across the UK . Smart metres and sensors along grid lines transmit usage data to providers , enabling them to match supply with demand .
“ Likewise , smart appliances can alter the times of electricity usage , avoiding peak times when pressure on the grid is high , resulting in lower costs and reduced risk of outages .
“ It ’ s these detailed insights into customer habits that does and will allow utilities to achieve maximum efficiency and customer satisfaction . And , at a time of expensive grid updates , usage trends could prove invaluable to planning and prioritising engineering work , as well as the most efficient means of distributing utility supply .”
What ’ s more , IoT sensors allow for the real-time flow of energy through this grid to be monitored , recorded , and timestamped , automatically alerting of power outages or loss in real-time so maintenance can be conducted .
It ’ s important to note , however , that IoT data collection isn ’ t an infallible solution just yet – as Storrar highlights : “ Connectivity has been identified as a common barrier to the full exploitation of the Internet of Things ( IoT ). Inmarsat ’ s 2021 report states that 58 % of electrical utility providers are unable to
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