With its ability to connect and centralize the infrastructures, IoT has great potential toward fostering corporate sustainability.

FREMONT, CA: Corporate sustainability has been the buzzword for the organizations irrespective of their sizes. While corporate sustainability stresses upon the profitability and corporate growth, it also demands corporation to contribute toward societal goals such as social justice and equity, economic development, and environmental protection. With the internet of things (IoT), organizations can move toward these goals quicker. Here are some of the IoT-based use cases concerning sustainability:

Smart Grids

Connected systems allow companies to manage and reroute energy during outages. The intelligent electricity distribution systems assist the utility providers in monitoring their assets remotely. They can also channelize energy as per the supply and demand. Smart grids equip the utility providers with the outage information before the customers report them. Thus they can monitor equipment before an infrastructure failure. It improves efficiency and streamlines energy distribution.

Smart Meters

A smart meter is a crucial aspect of grid infrastructure that gathers real-time energy data as well as gas and water data. Instead of relying on monthly manual readings, homes, and businesses with smart grid meters receive real-time data that allows them to make better decisions about their water, energy, and gas consumption.  Utility companies benefit too as systems can be remotely monitored, enabling efficient maintenance and better response to problems.

Smart Irrigation System

For agricultural purposes, smart irrigation systems monitor soil saturation to avoid under- and over-watering. Water sensors are crucial for monitoring water quality, which is a critical task after natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. It is also possible to monitor weather forecasts and control drainage to reduce stormwater runoff, flood, and hurricanes with the help of IoT sensors embedded into water management infrastructures.

Smart Lighting

Lacing the lighting systems in buildings with internet connectivity and intelligence can significantly optimize electricity use. In fact, lighting is a top use case when it comes to IoT sustainability. Light and temperature sensors not only adjust according to natural light cycles but also play a key role in energy conservation. For instance, sensors detect when there is sufficient natural light in the room and can automatically turn off or adjust the lights

Smart Streetlights

Street lighting can be elevated to the next level by connecting them with IoT sensors. Apart from the benefits of light adjustment based on natural conditions, smart streetlights also offer the infrastructure required to deploy various smart city applications like air quality monitors, traffic management devices, and security cameras.

IoT for Monitoring Air Quality

Sensors allow the municipalities and companies to gather massive data concerning outdoor and indoor air, including humidity, temperature, barometric pressure, and carbon dioxide. The smart sensors can also detect the saturation of volatile organic compounds such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, black carbon, and particulate matter. The information can also help organizations, cities, and individuals to monitor determine, and analyze the causes of pollution and the response measures to fix it.

Smart Waste

Waste management is critical for both corporate and environmental sustainability. Connected trash cans on city streets notify waste management companies, once full, enabling a company to dispatch collectors only when required. Connected waste receptors can also allow consumers to locate trash and recycling opportunities.