Mobile technology to shave billions off Europe’s energy bills

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.