How Can IoT Automation Fuel India's Net-Zero Building Ambitions?

India is not solely responsible for climate change. But, it is contributing to the growth of worldwide environmental issues. Rapid urbanization has resulted in high energy consumption and high carbon emissions in buildings. It led to human-induced climate change causing an irreversible change in temperature. If the net-zero emissions are not achieved globally by 2050, the temperature rise will exceed 1.5 degrees centigrade, the IPCC sixth assessment report says. Achieving net-zero emissions requires the complete transformation of the global energy system!

Cities are accountable for 70% of worldwide emissions, whereas buildings solely account for around 40-50%. Fast urbanization has only contributed to these environmental concerns. Decarbonization of cities and buildings is the need of the hour today. It is tremendously complex but possible with the application of advanced technologies.

India’s net-zero ambitions

India has made generous commitments and pledged to achieve net-zero by the year 2070.  At the 26th Conference of Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi emphasized saving the planet from climate change. With the commitment of installing non-fossil fuel electricity generation capacity of 500 GW, sourcing 50% of India’s energy need from renewables, reducing 1 billion tonnes of projected emissions, achieving carbon intensity reduction of 40% over 2005 levels, by the year 2030, and mainly achieving net-zero by the year 2070, our country is empowering such initiatives to overcome the environmental concerns.

India’s role will be critical in ensuring climate finance. These are the bold promises that will not go hollow. Being a developing country, India has big ambitions whose economy is just taking off.

Roadmap to net-zero emissions

India’s commitments to net-zero emissions seem to be far away. Actions must be taken from now on for the accomplishment of progressive goals. It requires an ambitious transformation of the global energy management system.

However, there are certain challenges that India may face while achieving net-zero ambitions. The first and foremost is finance. At Glasgow, Mr. Narendra Modi said that India alone needed $1 trillion in climate finance. Now, it is something that demands attention!

Cities and buildings should be optimally designed that deliver energy savings and reduce carbon emissions. On the other hand, manufacturing companies focus on scaling up the use of clean energy in order to become energy efficient. These challenges demand a considerable amount of time and effort, but it is paramount to address them immediately, otherwise, we’ll miss the committed targets.

Achieving net-zero must begin now. All businesses must confront and assist with it to bring successful results in the end. After all, their actions, resources, ability to innovate, and wider reach can swiftly decarbonize sectors, infrastructure, value chains, and the products and services they offer.

What do India’s net-zero ambitions mean for businesses?

India’s commitment to achieving net-zero is the right action to combat climate change. Businesses play a vital role in the fight against climate change with focused sustainability and increased regulatory requirements. What’s the positive part? An increasing number of companies have announced net-zero ambitions in the last year. Apart from these, some companies have pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to overcome these issues.

It’s not just the responsibility of the government to think green. Businesses must take an equal part in ensuring these motives. They need to make sure that their activities should result in no net impact on the climate.

The path to net-zero may be challenging for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as they serve as a supply basis for larger corporations. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the larger companies to assist smaller business units in minimizing their individual and collective carbon impact.

Net-zero targets need to be accompanied by detailed transition plans. The focus should be on removing emissions sources in the value chain, reviewing the building operations, understanding successful ways of potential pitfalls, and mainly, aligning the corporate goals with net-zero targets. How to ensure these changes? With the investment in cutting-edge technologies that can transform the way buildings operate, the reason why the demand for IoT automation in industries is reaching its peak.

Achieving India’s net-zero ambitions with IoT Automation

There are a plethora of factors that can reduce overall carbon emissions. The technology that tops the list is The Internet of Things (IoT). It has become a vital part of our everyday lives. Whether it’s home assistants, parking sensors, smartwatches, or smart plugs, this advanced technology is present everywhere! From smart buildings to driverless cars, IoT sensors and devices takes the building connectivity to the most efficient and optimized level.

The developing IoT-enabled energy supply network can detect and adjust for changes in energy consumption, providing numerous green and sustainable benefits. It can constructively optimize the performance of zero-carbon buildings by improving the flow of people, energy, goods, and information. Here’s understand how:

1. Greater efficiencies through connected technologies

IoT is mainly about collecting data and remotely controlling “things” that give an unprecedented level of control over building operations. Whether it’s HVAC, access control, energy management, or any other aspect, IoT offers full connectivity into these systems. As a result, facility managers can make a proactive decision leading to a reduction in energy wastage, optimal energy consumption, low carbon emissions, etc.

2. Smarter energy consumption

IoT automation gives rise to smart energy consumption in buildings by enabling real-time two-way communication between consumers and utility. It also offers a smart energy grid that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.9%. This is the power of IoT automation!

3. Food waste prevention

Wasted food goes to landfills that emit greenhouse gases and negatively affect the climate. IoT implementation offers real-time transparency and traceability of the products that help businesses to collect comprehensive data about their products moving throughout the supply chain leading to minimum food wastage.

Creating low-carbon, sustainable cities with net-zero buildings

The integration of smart buildings with the urban environment demands the deployment of IoT technology. Zenatix significantly contributes to net-zero ambitions with its advanced IoT solutions.