For simplicity sake, if an organization wishes to increase profits and does not wish to change its products or marketing plan, they need to be more efficient in the way they operate and reduce costs. Technology, even more so with smart technology, has done a phenomenal job at gathering information and providing solutions on how to better handle everyday tasks. This frees up valuable time that can be then spent doing more goal-oriented tasks, simply by taking care of the mundane often times tedious tasks. The Internet of Things (IoT) gathers information by connecting to the internet and relays the information back so that people can find out how efficient their processes are and adjust accordingly. With the help of the Internet of Things, smart devices have made steps towards fueling these energy woes with the use of green energy.

This is moving far beyond anyone could have ever imagined, with the Internet of Things and smart devices eventually growing into smart homes, smart corporations, but eventually smart cities as well. What will power these cities? How can we supply enough energy to power smart devices for homes, warehouses, greenhouses, and hospitals? According to the Oxford textbook Geography in America: At the Dawn of the 21st Century written by Gary L. Gaile and Cort J. Willmot found on chapter 20, with the current reserve of fossil fuels worldwide we will run out by the year 2088. Evidently, this is not sustainable and as a species, we will need to adapt in order to survive.

The green Internet of Things will help reduce the greenhouse effect, that is caused by fossil fuels, and alleviate carbon footprint we are currently making, initially slowing down the greenhouse effect, but eventually stopping it all together.

When you think of non-renewable energy sources coal, petroleum, natural gas, and fossil fuels should come to mind. On the flip side when thinking of renewable, green energy sources we look at solar, wind power, tidal power, biomass, geothermal, hydropower, and biofuels; energy sources that can be used more than just the original time. The use of these renewable energy sources, coupled with the technological advancements of smart technology, have the highest environmental benefits that can be provided from energy consumption. Recently in an article with The Globe, Kane Thornton Chief Executive of the clean energy council in Australia, released information that in 2016 nine-tenths of Europe’s total energy installations were renewable energy sources with the use of smart technology. This by far is leading the way in attempting to become one of the world’s first smart cities.

How IoT Helps Green Energy?

Green energy requires its surrounding environment to help generate power supply making it largely unpredictable, this is where IoT and smart technology come into play. Smart devices that use IoT to connect to the internet produce large amounts of data by taking patterns from the past, and judging the surrounding area in real time with the use of sensors, and analyzing its findings on the internet. This will give us information telling us about human behavior, peak energy usage times, and provide us with better models to best predict, and control energy usage. An example of this that is currently being used would be an electricity meter, which when connected to the internet, and with the use of sensors can base how much energy it uses, and how much it should store in the battery.

This is especially important so we do not waste the energy, and can better disperse it during peak times (for example every day between 5-8). With this data being collected by IoT devices, and allowing us to disperse the power and energy at high volume times. Providing us with more potential and flexibility, thanks to smart power grids.

With IoT giving green energy the potential to be more effective and provide a better return on investment, more people, as well as organizations are going to take the time to buy more green devices for the data feedback alone. An energy controller that is connected to the internet via IoT can use weather forecast data to manage the charge/discharge of the device’s battery, basing the charge/discharge on past patterns for the upcoming weather. Once more not only taking into account weather but consumer usage as well. Not only does this help to better prepare for peak energy usage times, but also is helping save money by not exerting energy at times of minimal use.

In the past, green energy has been known as hard to track and unstable, with major spikes in demand at key times throughout the course of the day; generally when people wake up, and again when they come home from work. With the use of artificial intelligence, data analyzing, and big data, the power grids can acclimate to the energy spikes and store energy for these points over the course of the day. This better allows them to not experience a delay when these peak times approach as they have in the past. The weather has played a big variable for green energy in the past, days where it was not sunny out, people would not receive solar energy until the next time the sun came out.

IoT provides assistance in the storage of energy preserving it for a more appropriate time within the battery of the smart device; preferably a time when energy levels are at peak usage. This makes it so that you are not consuming what is left of your energy levels at an invaluable time where it is going to waste instead of getting the maximum potential energy usage over the course of the day.

IoT Makes Green Energy Be More Valuable

Perhaps one of the most valuable insight IoT provides its users is preventative maintenance. Smart devices can send information from green energy devices by live tracking, using sensors data, online and recorded data which then will inform you of upcoming failures, or when a device needs to be inspected. Avoiding or at the very least minimizing the downtime, damage caused to the machine, and loss of potential revenue from the device shutting down. Of course, also working vice versa letting you know if the equipment is working to the best of its abilities.

Green energy is a market disruptor for its industry. An industry that was formally destroying our world with pollution, and prehistoric ways of producing energy. Organizations across the globe will be shaping their business plan around the use of green energy simply so they can take advantage of the big data provided from IoT inside the green energy.

We have discussed the use of big data, and IoT in previous blog posts, so please feel free to read them if you have not already.