Decarbonisation Technology - November 2022

Conclusion AI clearly has enormous potential in the drive to net zero. Tunley Engineering has taken its first step in utilising its power by applying previously collected data to teach algorithms to forecast future emissions. Understanding how a company’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions may vary (due to reduction opportunities, the season, and future demand) can help businesses accurately monitor carbon reduction targets. Current research being conducted at the Alan Turing Institute (UK’s national centre for data science) includes projects exploring how machine learning can be part of the solution to climate change (Alan Turing Institute, 2022a). For example, an electricity control room algorithm is being developed to provide decision support and ensure energy security for a decarbonised system (Alan Turing Institute, 2022b). The national grid’s electricity planning is improved by forecasting the electricity demand and optimising the schedule. Further, Industry 4.0 can plan for the impact that global warming and decarbonisation strategies have on our lives.

IoT circular economy The Internet of Things (IoT) is the digital industrial control system, a network of physical objects that are connected over the internet by sensors, software, and other technologies that exchange data with each thing. In time, the implementation of IoT will be worldwide and every single production process and supply chain will be available as a virtual image. Open access to a worldwide implementation of IoT has the potential to provide a truly circular economy. Product designers can use the information available from IoT and create value from other people’s waste. Theoretically, we could establish a work where manufacturing processes are all linked so there are zero extracted raw materials, zero waste disposed of, and net-zero emissions. Currently, the world has developed manufacturing processes one at a time, not interconnected value chains across industries. It may be a long time until IoT creates the worldwide virtual image required, but once it has, the technology is powerful enough to address losses from each process and exchange material between connected companies. Both materials and energy consumption can be shared to lower CO₂ emissions drastically. It may take decades, but IoT provides the technology to create a circular economy.

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XXXXXXX xxxx@xxxxxx Aaron Yeardley www.tunley-engineering.com

www.decarbonisationtechnology.com

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