In this article, we will look at some of the factors that affect the environmental change that 5G technology will bring. From smarter vehicles, better air quality, more efficient energy consumption, 5G networks will make an important contribution to improving our environment.
1. Smart grid
The UK's smart grids have used measurement, communication and control technologies to manage energy use, but the 5G network takes resource management to another level.
Internet of thing devices (IoT), such as in smart cars, homes, buildings and stadiums, will quickly issue a warning about the grid being used to make adjustments and flexible responses. IoT devices that stop working when not in use will significantly reduce energy demand. In fact, a recent O2 report argued that this could result in a 12% reduction in household energy use, or 6.4 million tons of CO2.The use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar is increasing but could be disrupted. Therefore, 5G technology will allow for better management of these resources to balance power generation and consumption.
2. Smart city
Smart cities to address many issues affecting the urban environment and the impact of the environment on urban life are among them. Sensors connected to electric vehicles, traffic lights, smart watches, trash cans, urban gardens and more will send information back to their city design planners for less use energy and reduce carbon emissions.
Devices and sensors on roads, cars, street lights, homes, buildings and more can provide data that allows local governments to use artificial intelligence (AI) systems to Adjust energy consumption. Smart energy policies are implemented across the city to reduce energy use, monitor and manage air quality, as well as monitor electricity, water and waste. According to a McKinsey company report, by 2025, smart cities will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 10-15% and save 25-80 liters of water per person per day.
3. Smart street light
The connected street light is an important element of any smart city, it can help protect the environment and save electricity costs. The most obvious is when combined with big data, requirements can be analyzed to ensure that the light is only on demand from residents or vehicles. Similarly, street lights will connect with people to ensure that the path of pedestrians is illuminated and will turn off when there are no people passing by.
A report from O2 in 2018 showed that 5G sensors and radio technology could save the city an average of £1.3 million in electricity through the adoption of smart LED street lights. Street lights can also be fixed by sensors to monitor air pollution or temperature.
4. Water management
Leaking and breaking water pipes will cause a huge amount of water to be wasted globally. In fact, a 2019 report from the Brookings research group in the United States estimates that water losses from broken, leaked and stolen pipes account for up to 50% of total global supply or 75 % in emerging markets.
IoT-connected sensors in the pipeline or on the ground will alert water supply companies about damage to the pipe or leakage before losing too much water. Similarly, 5G smart water meters in households can be set to limit usage. Irrigation in farms is water intensive and water is used without paying much attention to soil moisture. 5G sensors will be used to ensure water is not wasted on crops that do not need it.
5. Smart electric car
Self-driving cars are driven by 5G connectivity when paired with a network capable of supporting millions of connected devices, promising significantly more efficiency than current vehicles.
Navigation based on 5G will allow vehicles to travel faster and avoid clogged routes. Operators who maintain the routes will receive a warning of where the surface of the road is damaged through sensors in the car or through the surrounding infrastructure, which will help improve handling efficiency.
6. Production and consumption of food
As mentioned, 5G sensors in the soil can monitor moisture, which means less waste of water for crops but at the same time will assess whether the crop has received enough or too much sunlight. They will be able to check the balance of nutrients in the soil and whether the plant will wilt or not to take measures to prevent them from being damaged.
Purchased products can be damaged during storage, so these sensors will help users get a warning from the fridge to use before the expiration date if they're connected to the IoT. This will prevent food waste. According to a report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, about one-third of the food produced for our consumption is lost or wasted, of which more than 40% is fruits and vegetables.
7. Air quality
The United Nations argues that by 2050, 68% of the population will live in dense urban areas leading to waste, congestion and pollution. With the help of sensors scattered in smart city infrastructure (such as on street lights, buildings or road signs), urban managers can build a management system. manage air quality using accurate data in real time.
This will be used to manage pollution hotspots. Air filtration system, capable of being installed in smart buildings; Media and consumer devices can also be connected to 5G sensors to detect dust particles in the air.
8. Efficient management of energy in buildings
Much of the world's energy used by buildings and designs incorporating 5G sensors can dramatically reduce energy use. Lighting, heating, cooling and other activities are all allocated on demand, with the energy generated by the building itself, for example through the solar system.
In offices, 5G can be combined with big data and AI to create models from workers' footsteps to determine when lighting, heating or air conditioning should be adjusted. Resource-intensive buildings such as hospitals can also use 5G and AI sensors to help perform important maintenance based on previous models. This is also helpful in a large university or corporate campus where there are many multi-purpose buildings.
9. Smart electric meter
5G-connected electricity meter infrastructure will reduce power outages and power surges and help users reduce their monthly energy bills, provide access to devices such as electricity and gas meters and water via mobile devices remotely.
The home energy management system connected to the smart meter will allow households to modify their utility usage. The European Commission estimates that around 200 million smart meters and 45 million gas meters will be deployed by 2020, serving 72% of electricity customers and 40% of gas consumers.
10. 5G infrastructure
This is a controversial issue because the 5G infrastructure will need more devices, fewer cell transceiver stations and more data centers, all of which means increasing resource use and energy consumption.
Some reports estimate that the worldwide emissions percentage of the IT industry could increase from 3% today to 14% by 2040, which is an undesirable outcome. However, most network equipment companies are designing and manufacturing high-energy devices.
Huawei has built some 5G base stations in China using energy management software and requires less electronic components to generate heat, which use 20% less electricity than 4G stations. Similarly, 5G can manage solar or liquid-cooling in a base station on demand, and some European companies have reduced CO2 emissions by up to 80% this way. 5G will use deactivation modes during no traffic generated, using analytical algorithms and AI to model energy usage.
