M2M innovations to cut carbon and costs

Remote monitoring technology to save energy and costs

Mobile phone technology could help to cut carbon emissions in industries as diverse as logistics, manufacturing and utilities, according to a new report published by Vodafone.

In Carbon Connections: Quantifying mobile’s role in tackling climate change, the international communications company claims that 113 million tonnes a year of carbon emissions could be avoided through mobile technology. A combination of machine to machine (M2M) technology and ‘dematerialisation’ – the rise of virtual services, such as videoconferencing – could cut Europe’s annual energy bill by €43 billion, according to the report.

M2M services – or wireless telecom – could be used remotely to monitor and improve the efficiency of operations, leading to cost savings. The technology is already being used by supermarket chain Asda, which has saved 28,000 tonnes in carbon emissions over the last three years by remotely monitoring how efficiently its vehicles were being driven – and then embarking on driver education to change habits.

Other potential M2M applications include traffic management systems to improve vehicle flow, and smarter electricity grids that can respond promptly to changes in demand. M2M devices could also be embedded within high value manufactured products, which would communicate when maintenance is required.

James Taplin, Principal Sustainability Advisor at Forum for the Future, welcomed the report. “Information and communication technology (ICT) has a crucial role to play in radically decarbonising society… enabling us to live and operate in entirely new ways.”

But the techno vision comes at a price. Significant investment is needed for one billion new mobile connections, and to improve international compatibility across networks.
– Sarah Roe

12 November 2009

Sarah Roe