Top 5 innovations that focus on sustainability

January 7, 2022 Rachael Hirst

For many, attempts to address climate change, both through adaptation and mitigation, will inform and define the global development agenda. Thus, climate change and climate control are inextricably linked.

Every organization is affected by the environment on a regular basis, forcing industry executives to focus on and respond to immediate interruptions as well as longer-term trends. And it takes more than environment data to take the correct action for your business at the right moment. To reinvent operations and better predict how your assets, employees, and customers are affected by the environment, you’ll need to use advanced analytics, i.e., greenhouse sensors, and intelligent workflows, i.e., greenhouse automation.

Let’s have a look at top 5 innovations that focus on sustainability:

1. Greenhouse automation systems

More and more growers are discovering the benefits of automation in their growing settings, from semi-automatic control systems to completely automatic control systems.

It might be difficult to keep track of environmental elements such as humidity, heat, ventilation, and light levels. Growers confront a significant burden and effort in managing every single environmental aspect. Automated controls, such as alarms and sensors, help alleviate some of that strain. Automatic controls can be fully integrated into all aspects of your greenhouse automation system, allowing you to keep your environment tailored to your crops’ demands without the need for regular monitoring and adjustment. Installing an automation system in the horticultural business will aid in the creation of continuous and predictable cycles that will keep your growing environment in top shape.

2. eTrucks

Electric vehicles for personal use that are quickly accumulating market share may soon be followed by commercial fleets. However, a comprehensive grasp of the total ownership cost is required to facilitate a flawless transition. eTrucks were once restrictively costly to implement. Nevertheless, because of increasingly readily available and cost-competitive e-vehicle infrastructure, the total ownership cost for eTrucks might soon be equivalent to diesel-powered trucks.

By 2030, we believe that the adoption of Battery Electric Commercial Vehicles (BECVs), particularly in the light- and medium-duty categories, will have surpassed that of automotive EVs in various countries. Despite the fact that several heavy-duty BECVs will require charging in the midst of their journey, our research indicates that charging stations will be located every 80 to 100 kilometers on well-traveled roads.

3. Long-term storage

A fantastic solution for short-term storage requirements, i.e., 4-5 hours, and continually occurring requirements, i.e., 20-200 times per year, is lithium-ion batteries. Nonetheless, the market requires storage solutions for the long term due to seasonal shifts and multiple day periods when less solar and wind power is available. Hydropower dams used to be one of the only ways to deal with these seasonal variations. Otherwise, the system would have to construct a whole chain of plants that only operate for a few days each year. Fortunately, a new generation of entrepreneurs believes they are on the verge of developing long-term storage technology.

4. Carbon storage

Instead of focusing solely on totally decarbonizing the primary industrial commodities driving cement and plastics, we might also investigate conveniently grasping the carbon emitted throughout production. CCS aids enterprises in capturing carbon at its source, compacting it, and transporting it to a long-term storage facility. The technology has the prospect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions considerably and the potential to earn additional cash if carbon dioxide can be used favourably to create additional things.

5. Accessible solar energy

Renewable energy will continue to become increasingly affordable and accessible, a development that will have significant repercussions for the almost 1 billion people who do not have access to power around the world. While expanding the grid is a component of the access answer, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, which account for the majority of the world’s unelectrified population, are looking into renewable energy such as solar to deliver energy to millions of people rapidly and cheaply. Solar home systems (SHSs) that were previously unaffordable can now be a smart alternative for communities that are too far from a dependable grid connection, thanks to innovative financing plans.