Sustainability and control rooms. A match?

Sustainability: for some people it’s a critical issue, for others it’s just another item on their list of things to consider. But no matter how involved and determined you are in the subject, one thing’s for sure: it’s a hot topic that cannot be overlooked.

May 22, 2023

Kurt De Buck and Barco

2 contributors

Sustainability and control rooms. A match?

Liked by Lisa Matthews, CTS and 1 other

This month, we joined the ‘No Mow May’-movement and did not mow our lawns. Instead, we used that time to reflect on the vital role control rooms play in the sustainability strategy of organizations. Because yes: control room professionals have a key to save the planet in their hands!

As the control room monitors and manages all operations, it is an excellent location to optimize the sustainability performance of the operations. Depending on the industry, this can take many forms. Let’s have a look at some examples…

Traffic management centers

Traffic management centers have the ambition to reduce traffic congestion and optimize traffic flow. In other words, the control room helps to lower the additional carbon emissions caused by traffic jams. Talking about sustainability boosters! In this way, the control room also helps the transportation industry achieve their sustainability goals.

Transmission control centers

One of the overall key challenges in sustainability is energy management. Renewable energy is more difficult to control than conventional fossil fuels. When the sun shines and the wind blows there is an abundance of energy, but on calm, cloudy days supply is less certain. That is why transmission control centers play a crucial role in guaranteeing the energy supply. This is a task that cannot be overestimated!

Process control centers

Here, the control room plays the role of guaranteeing an optimal production process. This is not only good for business, but also for the planet! Tasks performed by the process control center include reducing waste, optimizing recycling and reducing energy use. This helps the company save money, and achieve its sustainability goals!

Airport operations centers

Air transportation is often cited as a main contributor to the total amount of carbon emissions produced. Optimizing the efficiency of airports makes sure flights can meticulously follow their schedules and don’t need to fly around in circles, waiting for a landing slot to open. Managing airport efficiency is (you guessed it) the responsibility of the airport operations center.

All these examples clearly show the importance of control rooms in a sustainability context. But did you know that also the control room can work on its sustainability performance? We’ll elaborate on this subject tomorrow, so stay tuned!