Carbon footprint optimization of a LoRa-based multi-hop Industrial Internet of Things network deployment
研究了使用可再生能源的多跳工业物联网网络的碳足迹，提出优化框架，发现通过终端设备转发数据包可减少高达85%的碳排放，且存在最优终端设备密度。
The seamless integration of the Internet of Things (IoT) into various societal and economic domains is unfolding before us. In the industrial sector, this digital transformation propelled by Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks, among other technologies is referred to as Industry 4.0, where wireless technologies are transforming the industry as currently conceived. While considerable efforts have been devoted to optimizing performance and energy consumption in these networks, relatively little attention has been directed towards comprehensively studying and optimizing the carbon footprint (CF) associated with these network deployments. Additionally, scarce literature has analyzed the use of multi-hop topologies with well-known standards like LoRaWAN. This research delves into the CF of a generic multi-hop IIoT network using renewable energy sources and communicating through the LoRa physical layer while also proposing an optimization framework. The findings indicate that up to a 85% reduction in carbon emissions can be achieved by enabling packet forwarding through end devices, offering greater scalability. Interestingly, an optimal end device density emerges, implying that decreasing the number of end devices may actually lead to higher CFs. These results underscore the necessity for a fresh perspective on optimizing IIoT networks, urging the inclusion of environmental sustainability criteria that have hitherto been overlooked.