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Mobile technology to shave billions off Europe’s energy bills
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21/07/2009
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Mobile technology could cut Europe's annual energy bill by €43bn, according to a report issued by Vodafone and Accenture. They conclude that mobile technology could cut Europe's annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 113Mt by 2020 – representing 18% of the UK's annual carbon dioxide output in 2008 and approximately 2.4% of expected EU emissions in 2020.
However, they say this opportunity can only be realised if industry and governments collaborate.
The report, entitled 'Carbon Connections: quantifying mobile's role in tackling climate change,' demonstrates that mobile technology has the potential to be a major catalyst in driving carbon reductions across a range of industry sectors.
Mark Foster, group chief executive of management consulting & integrated markets at Accenture, says: "There is a clear and immediate imperative to take further steps to reduce global emissions, and the communications industry will yet again play a pivotal role by enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy.
"For example, being able to access high-definition video conferencing from a mobile device can cut down the need to travel."
Foster talks of two main categories: smart machine-to-machine (M2M) services and dematerialisation.
The former connect one piece of equipment wirelessly with another and represent 80% of the potential carbon saving. Foster says they include: smart grids, smart logistics, smart manufacturing and smart cities – all relying on remote access.
Then dematerialisation – the substitution of physical goods, processes or travel with virtual alternatives, such as video-conferencing or online shopping – represents 20% of the potential energy savings identified, according to Vodafone.
The company is now launching a global M2M service platform to help companies deploy and manage large, wireless M2M projects. The new platform will also be supported by an expert team with world-wide responsibility for growing Vodafone's M2M business.
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Author
Brian Tinham
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