RENEWABLES
Reduction in energy demands In 2016 and beyond , the Internet of Things ( IoT ) will greatly change the way we consume energy . loT will empower users with actionable insight to better understand their energy consumption in real-time , down to the small appliance level — to create personalized recommendations for users based on data gathered .
“ I ’ m pretty confident that the Internet of Things is going to have net negative power consumption ,” said Urs Hölzle , senior vice president of technical infrastructure at Google . “ If you control lights , heat , and cooling in a smarter ways , that ’ s really substantial .”
While trimming home energy use can bring big energy reductions , the true future lies in an integrated system , a smart grid . As of right now , the flow of energy in a normal grid is one way , with energy flowing from power plants to homes and businesses . With a smart grid , it would flow multiple ways — allowing people to control their own energy , including selling the energy they make . A smart grid would allow customers to preset how and when their home or business uses energy , including the ability to control by way of smartphones .
Predicting and mitigating problems Because IoT makes sense of large amounts of data captured from machines , it uncovers valuable insight into the health and performance of equipment and infrastructure . For example , General Electric is developing a sensor network based on the principles of loT to monitor turbines constantly in order to reduce downtime . These predictive analytics help identify impending
8 January 2016