Impacts of IOT in Renewable Energy

By Salah Alajeel 

The introduction of IOT technology into renewable energy has brought about great changes in the industry. IOT has brought some positive changes in some cases and negative changes I others. In this article, we will examine these changes.

Positive Impacts

The positive impacts of IOT technology can be categorized into:

Impacts on the industry and impacts on the environment.

1. Positive Impacts of IOT as used in renewable energy in the environment

• IOT can be used in security systems to warn of any breakage in the transmission media. This can help prevent fire disasters caused by failures in the grid and quick management of the fires that manage to break out.
• Manual Maintenance checks of the system are reduced drastically because maintenance data can be shared in real-time. In cases where maintenance is needed, crews are signaled by the system. This leads to a drastic reduction in the amounts of fossil fuels used by vehicles during maintenance, thus creating a healthier environment.
• IOT technology triggers optimum efficiency of renewable energy grids. This efficiency, in turn, supplies more renewable energy, reducing the world’s reliance on more harmful sources of energy.

2. Positive Impacts of IOT on the Renewable Energy industry

• Increased efficiency of the power grids
• Creation of jobs in the industry. The industry can now hire Technicians to monitor networks, monitor the systems, and create better digital security frameworks.
• Maintenance of the grid is eased. Data on the condition of devices and cables stream in real-time.
• Remote asset monitoring and control. Instructions can be sent to devices over long distances due to the interconnectivity of the devices and sensors. The devices can also send data to the controller in real-time. This makes monitoring the assets so easy that it can be done in the office.
• IOT technology allows for better load management.

Negative Impacts

1. Negative Impacts of IOT as used in renewable energy in the environment

• IOT sensors and devices use batteries. Once these batteries are replaced, some of them end up in landfills. As IOT technologies grow ever more popular, these waste products will eventually cause great harm to the environment.
• During the production of IOT devices, a lot of waste is released into the environment. This waste could have a drastic effect on the ecosystem.
• Installation of IOT devices may, in some cases, require more space. Installation of IoT amenities like data centers may lead to the destruction of some habitats.

2. Negative Impacts of IOT on the Renewable Energy industry

• Installation of IOT devices and technologies cost more initially.
• The technologies involve creating some vulnerability of the user data. Experienced hackers can, in some cases, gain access to sensitive user information.
• Training already existing personnel to work with IoT might be costly.
• Integration of IoT technology into already existing renewable energy systems might turn out to be a complex affair.

The Conclusion

IOT has brought with it a lot of improvements in the renewable energy sector. It is revolutionizing what we thought was the peak of renewable energy production and management. But with the positive side, it has also introduced some new vulnerabilities. With these impacts, is renewable energy headed in the right direction? Will IOT technology lead renewable energy to success?