The Voice Of Cedric Morel, Managing Director, Sensile Technologies
The Voice spoke with Cédric Morel from Sensile Technologies, a valued long-standing member of the WLGA, and we extend congratulations for achieving the impressive milestone of a decade with the WLGA. Cédric shared his unique insights and personal perspectives on the industry, its future, future developments, and the wealth of opportunities it presents in a thought leadership article below entitled: ‘IIoT to Empower Carbon Footprint Reduction in the LPG Industry and Beyond.’
IIoT to Empower Carbon Footprint Reduction in the LPG Industry and Beyond
Political and industrial decision-makers around the world are looking for solutions to combat climate change. As the European Commission reminded us again in its communication on 6 February 2024,(1)(2) the road to climate neutrality will have to take a number of different routes, with electrification as the main objective.
Renewable fuels are also part of the range of solutions, so the oil and gas industry has been dealt a strong hand, both in the search for alternative fuels and in reducing its impact on the climate throughout its value chain.
Monitoring equipment and optimising processes are extraordinary ways of improving energy efficiency. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has been contributing to this for over 20 years, offering ever more effective and economical solutions.
As Lord Kelvin said, ‘If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it’. IIoT-based solutions, given their ability to acquire and analyse large quantities of data from scattered equipment, make it possible to precisely take the measurements that are needed to implement improvement processes.
Take the example of the LPG and other fuels industry: IIoT makes it possible to remotely monitor fuel stocks in tanks. The data collected in real time and the predictive consumption analyses improve operational efficiency throughout the supply chain. Optimising deliveries alone can lead to logistical savings of up to 30%, which in turn reduces the carbon footprint.
Other IIoT contributions include environmental safety, production adjustment based on demand forecasts, asset monitoring and management and maintenance processes. Each optimisation, on its own scale, improves the operational efficiency of companies that make the best use of it, while also reducing their environmental impact.
While many of the major players in the LPG and other fuels industry have already adopted remote monitoring solutions for some of their equipment, they could still improve their processes by installing these solutions more widely and making full use of the potential of data and algorithms.
Indeed, IIoT-based solutions, boosted by machine learning and artificial intelligence, are seeing their performance improve. For example, predictive demand analyses are increasingly accurate, incorporating the weather as a factor as well as historical consumption data. Automatic delivery planning is also getting better and better, adjusting to traffic conditions in real time.
Meanwhile, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of IIoT solutions continues to fall. There is no doubt that this will help to make their adoption more widespread within the fuel industry – and beyond – thanks to the benefits far outweighing the costs.
IIoT still has great potential to transform the way businesses, public authorities and households consume and manage energy, whatever the future energy source may be. In particular, it will become increasingly important in the management of energy distribution in smart grids. In buildings, for example, it will optimise lighting, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning. It has countless applications.
Finally, adopting IIoT to optimise energy consumption and reduce our environmental footprint will soon seem as obvious as the need to improve the insulation of our buildings today.
The IIoT offers a glimpse of a more sustainable and even more interconnected future. Technological advances in machine learning and artificial intelligence are only accelerating the profound digital transformation that is underway in all sectors. It is the most agile energy stakeholders who will be able to take advantage of this.
- Questions and Answers – Communication on Europe’s 2040 climate target and the path to climate neutrality by 2050
- Commission presents recommendation for 2040 emissions reduction target to set the path to climate neutrality in 2050
Thank you to the WLGA for your ongoing efforts on behalf of the industry. We have had the pleasure of working with you for ten years. Thank you as well for giving me this opportunity to present my views on this fascinating subject.
