In today's business landscape, most companies are striving to achieve carbon neutral or even net zero. The initial crucial step in this journey is to effectively track the carbon footprints; however, for companies operating factories, this task is more complex and challenging. It involves identifying and quantifying emissions, performing real-time calculations, visualizing data, and implementing process optimizations. Thankfully, purpose-built industrial computing platforms can provide efficient solutions by integrating these different capabilities to enhance the tracking and calculation of the scope 1 emission.
Data collection from various parameters
Tracking greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is a complex undertaking that involves multiple intricate steps, including determining emission factors, collecting data, performing calculations, and generating comprehensive reports. The data collection process necessitates the handling of a substantial amount of information from monitoring devices and data loggers. Smart sensors and meters play a crucial role in measuring parameters relevant to emissions, such as electricity, fuel, and other energy inputs. Before the emissions data can be quantified and visualized, preliminary processing at the operational technology (OT) level is required. This involves utilizing edge gateways to gather and process various types of parameters through different protocols and preparing the data for further analysis and delivery at field sites.
In this initial phase of the tracking process, it is essential to have an edge gateway that offers high performance and extensive input/output capabilities. Axiomtek’s ICO520 industrial edge gateway is powered by the 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processor, providing exceptional capabilities for data transmission. It is equipped with four isolated COM ports and four isolated 2.5G GbE LAN ports, as well as four isolated DIO, ensuring seamless connectivity. Additionally, it features two HDMI ports for on-site monitoring and display purposes. To accommodate storage expansion, it offers one 2.5" SATA drive, one mSATA, and one optional M.2 Key M NVMe. Furthermore, the ICO520 supports wireless real-time data transmission through its compatibility with 5G via the M.2 Key B slot, LTE, or Wi-Fi using the PCIe Mini Card slot.
By leveraging the advanced features and capabilities of the ICO520, companies can streamline their GHG emissions tracking process, enhancing efficiency and accuracy. Its robust performance and comprehensive I/O options make it an indispensable tool in the pursuit of effective emissions management and reporting.
Data processing by high-performance platform
After a comprehensive understanding of the carbon emission sources at the field site, the data can then be converted into estimated carbon emissions through accurate identification and quantification. To effectively manage and organize the collected data, as well as analyze it, a high-speed system is essential. Additionally, cross-checking the data from various sources is crucial to ensure consistency and accuracy, particularly when verifying the emission factors. By conducting real-time analysis consistently, companies can identify excessive or ineffective energy usage and take steps to reduce it.
Axiomtek’s high-performance fanless embedded system, the eBOX671B supports the 13th Gen Intel® Core™ processor and has two DDR5 memory slots with a capacity reaching up to 64GB, making it a perfect choice for data processing with the heaviest workload. Given the large amount and complexity of data, simulation, and models in the calculation, the eBOX671B supports NVIDIA RTX™ MXM modules to leverage the parallel processing power to distribute and process the tasks to better accelerate the workflow. Moreover, the processor features the Intel® UHD Graphics 770 driven by Xe architecture with up to 32 EUs to enhance image inference performance.
To ensure the stability of high-performance operations, a tailor-made fan kit can be installed on the platform. This fan kit effectively reduces the operating temperature by approximately 24%, guaranteeing uninterrupted functionality even in demanding conditions. Moreover, the eBOX671B features triple display capabilities, including two HDMI 1.4b and one DisplayPort 1.4a, allowing for the convenient real-time display of processed and visualized data directly on the field site through a dashboard. Thanks to this high-performance platform, the data can be furtherly visually presented, showcasing real-time carbon emissions and energy consumption on a smart dashboard right at the field site.
Real-time data visualization and display by touch panel PC
Effective management of statistics is crucial for operators, and an interactive dashboard can seamlessly visualize and display the data results and constant updates to enable tracking the progress of carbon emission reduction efforts and monitoring the efficiency of energy usage over time. This also includes presenting graphs, charts, maps, and other visual representations of emissions data, offering operators a comprehensive understanding of the information.
For this purpose, we highly recommend the GOT321A-ELK-WCD touch panel PC, which is supported by the Intel® Celeron® processor J6412. More than turning the valuable data into self-explanatory graphics, the GOT321A-ELK-WCD can be an all-in-one solution; given the versatility of the platform, in a smaller field site, the data can be processed and visualized by a single touch panel PC, making the solution and configuration more effective.
The GOT321A-ELK-WCD features a 21.5" FHD TFT projected capacitive multi-touch widescreen with a brightness of 400 nits, ensuring clear visibility. Its front bezel is IP65-rated, providing protection against dust and water ingress. Moreover, its operating temperature ranges from -10°C to +50°C, making it suitable for deployment in various field sites. It also supports wireless connectivity with its full-size PCI Express Mini Card slot and M.2 Key E slot. The device offers rich I/O interfaces, including one COM port, one 2.5G LAN port, one GbE LAN port, and four USB 3.2 Gen2 ports.
Incorporating a reliable touch panel PC into the solution not only facilitates visualization and monitoring capabilities but also enables crucial functions like alerts and notifications, system configuration, and collaborative decision-making. With this key platform, companies can have a closer look and optimize their operation and energy use to drive efficiency to lower carbon emissions.
Now equipped with the necessary platforms and systems, companies can embark on continuous monitoring of energy consumption, paving the way for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious practice.
