Underutilized Smart technology can contribute 40% of the required carbon emissions For the net zero goal.
The GSMA calls on business leaders and policymakers to take advantage of the potential of mobile connectivity and smart technologies to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 and control global warming to within 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Smart/Internet of Things technology can save 40% of the carbon emissions required to achieve the world’s net zero goal.
These Interconnection technology already exists. But today, with the support of the Carbon Trust, GSMA’s new research shows that mobile connectivity and smart technologies are clearly underutilized in energy-intensive industries such as electricity and manufacturing.
In the energy sector, only about 35% of solar power grids and 10% of wind power grids worldwide use interconnection technology. 1% of factories in the global manufacturing industry use interconnected technology. However, if these industries are to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, these technologies can help achieve nearly 40% of carbon emissions reduction requirements by 2030.
GSMA Director General Mats Granryd stated:
“The risk is that if there is no widespread use of smart technology, the world will miss the 2050 net-zero commitment. Business leaders and policymakers must take immediate action to use the power of mobile technology and connectivity as a key lever in the global net-zero race.”
“With the development of low-carbon and zero-carbon technologies, people may think that we will need to rely on future technological solutions to achieve net zero goals. At GSMA, we disagree. We believe in the many smart tools and tools needed to reduce carbon emissions. Technologies, especially in the energy sector, already exist-they just haven’t reached their full potential.”
GSMA research focuses on four energy-intensive industries, including energy, transportation, construction, and manufacturing. It shows how the increase in connectivity and mobile technology will save the world about 11 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2030. These savings are the same as the elimination of 2,700 coal-fired power stations.
With political and business leaders from all over the world holding COP26 in Glasgow next week, GSMA encourages leaders to consider our latest research, which shows how existing technologies can significantly reduce carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency.The survey results assume that emissions will be halved by 2030, as required by the “Index Roadmap Initiative”[1], In line with the regulation that limits global warming to 1.5°C.
Tom Delay, CEO of Carbon Trust, said:
“The GSMA’s new analysis of the supporting effects of increasing the interconnection of the four energy-intensive industries is based on previous research by the Carbon Trust. It emphasizes the key role that smart and mobile technologies can play in reducing carbon emissions, and Make it clear that most of the technology already exists-it just needs to be widely promoted in all walks of life.”
The main findings of the study include:
Energy industry
- The 46% reduction in carbon emissions required by the energy sector may come from the introduction of wind and solar interconnected grids-equivalent to 4 gigatons of carbon dioxide or the elimination of approximately 1,000 coal-fired power plants by 2030.
- Today, about 35% of solar power grids and 10% of wind power grids worldwide use interconnection technology.
- Without the use of connected grid technology, carbon emissions savings will be reduced by about 10%-equivalent to an additional 100 million tons of unnecessary carbon dioxide by 2030.
Transportation
- 65% of the carbon emissions reduction required for transportation may come from digital infrastructure to support electric vehicles, work from home, and optimize routes and fleet management for road transportation and commercial shipping.
- This is equivalent to reducing 280 million tons of carbon dioxide in the next 9 years-equivalent to 2.8 billion flights from New York to Paris.
- Today, the number of electric car charging stations is only 0.8% of all cars on the road.
Construction industry
- 43% of the carbon reduction required by the construction industry may come from the installation of smart meters in residential properties and smart buildings that use interconnected heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
- Over the next nine years, the installation of smart meters and connected buildings will generate approximately 2.2 gigatons of carbon dioxide — the same amount as the emissions of heating more than 90 million homes during the same period.
- Today, only 60 million commercial locations have smart electricity and natural gas connections, which is only a small part of the total number of commercial buildings worldwide.
manufacturing
- The smart manufacturing process can provide 16% of the carbon emission reduction required by the manufacturing industry, which is equivalent to 1.4 gigatons of carbon dioxide; equivalent to the emissions of 140 million cars manufactured.
- Today, 1% of factories in the global manufacturing industry use connected technology.
- GSMA Intelligence analyzes the impact of smart manufacturing processes, including IoT (Internet of Things) sensors for more efficient factory production monitoring, diagnosis, warehouse management, and inventory tracking.
