Prospective Environmental and Economic Assessment of a Sensor Network

Sustainability is becoming of vital importance in project management, and a life cycle assessment (LCA) can ensure a body of knowledge to bear in mind the environmental burdens the project involves. In this study, two different ways of supplying energy to a sensor network are analyzed. Firstly, we analyze the environmental impact of the devices connected to the public grid. Secondly, we analyze the completely full off-grid system, with the sensor connected to a photovoltaic (PV) panel. Our findings show that the off-grid option has a greater number of benefits than the grid-connected option in terms of environmental impacts, although it is less economically advantageous. In a detailed analysis of the off-grid scenario, it can be observed that the battery is the component with the highest impact, so actions to try to reduce consumption, and, therefore, the battery size and its negative impact are taken. After reducing the battery size, the break-even point was reached, providing a net economic benefit of EUR 0.23 sensor/year. However, this analysis refers to a single sensor, and although the environmental and economic benefits seem low, in an economy of scale, this could result in large savings if these types of sensors are massively installed.

Automated summary

This study explores the importance of sustainability and life cycle assessment in project management for considering environmental impacts. Comparing the environmental effects of supplying energy to sensor networks through public grid and off-grid systems, it is found that the off-grid option is more beneficial environmentally but less economically viable. Additionally, in-depth analysis of the battery impact in off-grid scenarios shows that reducing energy consumption can lead to improved economic benefits.