Achieving Sustainability Goals with IoT, AI, and Digital Twins

Introduction

Achieving Sustainability Goals with IoT, AI, and Digital Twins

Held in Dubai in December 2023, the United Nations COP28 climate change conference was a successful and momentous event. The event marked the global efforts to address the problem of climate change under the Paris Agreement. Featuring over 150 climate action events, nearly 150 heads of state and government reiterated their goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.

In the face of escalating concerns about climate change and evolving regulations,  more organizations are looking to prioritize sustainability goals like net-zero emissions and optimized resource consumption. According to Accenture, 33% of European companies have pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. However, this is easier said than done. Only 9% of these companies are on track to achieve this goal.

The 2024 Digital Economy report (from UNCTAD) underlines the importance of digitalization and technology for meaningfully executing environmentally sustainable strategies.

We, like many visionary organisations, firmly believe that digital technologies like AI, IoT, and Digital twins can boost sustainability by monitoring the real-time consumption of resources and their environmental impact. For example, with digital twins, companies can design the most effective strategies for reducing energy consumption and emissions. Another focus area is the development of “smart” or intelligent buildings.

Let’s see how these technologies can help enterprises achieve green goals.

How IoT can power sustainability solutions

From a business perspective, IoT technology can address sustainability challenges by collecting real-time data – and then enable enterprises to act on it through smarter and more timely decisions. In fact, nearly 75% of companies adopting IoT consider this technology crucial for achieving their sustainability goals.

Through the capabilities of connected sensors, IoT solutions can provide analytical insights into how business resources are being used. Here are some application areas for IoT:

1. Smart carbon-neutral buildings

38% of global carbon emissions are generated from the construction and operations of buildings. A smart carbon-neutral building model can significantly impact the generated carbon footprint. For instance, IoT – along with AI and Digital Twins – can automate lighting and temperature control within buildings

One such case study is of property company, Vasakronan implementing IoT and Digital Twins for their office and commercial buildings across Sweden – leading to major cost-savings as well as more environmentally conscious operations.

1. Energy production and distribution

Similar to buildings, electricity or energy production facilities are major contributors to global emissions. IoT-enabled utilities can monitor and manage their energy production and distribution for maximum efficiency.

An example is that of a Turkish company, smartPulse using both AI and IoT for planning their power plants and cost management. As a result, nearly 13% of Turkish power plants are now opting for the smartPulse solution for real-time monitoring of their power generation facilities.

Role of Digital Twins in the Smart Building model

In recent years, digital twin technology has been used to augment smart and intelligent buildings. With an emphasis on long-term sustainability, construction personnel, and designers are evaluating the building’s carbon footprint right from the design phase.

An example is the London-based “The Hickman,” which emerged as the world’s first intelligent building of its type. During the construction phase, the building’s facility management system was connected to digital twin systems through sensors. This enabled an integrated view of the building’s assets through real-time data in:

• Energy consumption
• Building occupancy at any given time
• Internal temperature
• Light levels
• Air quality within the building

To build a sustainable approach, smart buildings can leverage digital twins to:

1. Replicate the physical infrastructure – including how occupants use selected spaces.
2. Track the real-time data flow from connected IoT sensors to determine the occupant’s behaviour.
3. Assess the building environment from a variety of vantage points to understand and improve processes, systems, and equipment.

When integrated with digital twin technology, smart buildings can reduce energy consumption by up to 20%. Besides, digital twin solutions can also reduce building maintenance costs by 25% to 30% – and improve property value by 7-20%.

In the area of data-driven predictive maintenance, digital twin systems can continuously monitor critical assets like the building’s elevators. This can effectively reduce downtime by 30%. Besides, facility management teams can boost their occupant’s safety and comfort by leveraging digital twins to monitor:

• Indoor air quality and temperature
• Indoor lighting
• Real-time occupancy

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