The role of digitalization in achieving sustainability goals was examined.
The availability and accessibility of appropriate data is key to achieving the decarbonization goals of buildings, energy distribution systems, and industrial companies, yet almost half of the companies do not have this information at their disposal, according to a from a recent international report.
The Siemens research, based on a survey of a total of 650 senior managers from 13 countries and seven industries, examined how digitization, data use, and the adaptation of technological innovations contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of companies, and how these developments pay off both in terms of sustainability and business point of view.
More advanced digitalization, more sustainable infrastructure
65 percent of those surveyed said that they see digitization as a great opportunity to increase their company’s productivity and thus its competitiveness. In addition, more than half of the respondents (55%) are CO2– also sees great potential in the area of emission reduction and resource efficiency. At the same time, this also means that 45 percent of respondents who do not see this potential are not fully aware of the sustainability opportunities inherent in digital solutions; there is still a lack of information in this area.
The survey also pointed out that only 54 percent of companies are considered advanced or advanced in data-driven operation, and 42 percent are only in the early development stage. That is, there is still a huge, untapped potential in this area.
Many companies are already seeing the benefits of digital business platforms: participants identified scalability, time and cost efficiency, faster implementation, reliability and interoperability as the most important opportunities. At the same time, a third of the respondents mentioned the complexity and costs of integration, as well as the lack of skilled labor, among the restraining factors.
Lack of data is a serious obstacle
A significant number of respondents claimed to have little or no data in key areas for decarbonisation and resource efficiency. 44 percent of the participants did not have the correct data for the company’s CO2– emissions, 46 percent of them lacked indicators on the performance of plants and machines, and 30 percent of those interviewed did not have data on their energy consumption. These gaps are a critical obstacle in the transition to more sustainable operations.
Furthermore, even when data is available, respondents often face difficulties in effectively integrating, managing and analyzing it. In addition to solving this, there is a general need to increase the amount of data, improve its quality and increase its availability in order to make informed decisions. For a more sustainable operation, the respondents considered energy consumption data as well as data on their customers and users to be the most important, and even the most accessible.
Artificial intelligence will be the key
The report states that the future will be intelligent solutions capable of rapid analysis of databases and even automatic and continuous optimization of companies’ operations and systems. Among these technologies, respondents expect artificial intelligence to have the greatest positive impact on decarbonization and improving resource efficiency of any currently available technology over the next three years. In addition, several people mentioned remotely accessible sensors and monitoring systems, digital twin technology, and smart devices that would make their operations more sustainable and efficient.
Full report by clicking this link can be read.
Source: www.technokrata.hu
