Nature has always been something that mankind has used to get what we need, for our survival and our pleasure. As the world population increased, our usage of natural materials increased as well. But there was another spike going on there, a spike in desires, in pleasure seeking and in consumerism. Today the combined effect of heightened consumerism and a huge human population 
has put much strain on the natural world, its resources, and its life.
Until recent years, innovation and growth have been synonymous with pollution and abusing limited natural resources for profit. However, the recent age has seen many things change. Today, progress is paving the path for a different future where the way we function every day as a society can be steered with sustainable and greener sources of energy, and the gadgets we use will follow suit. Some of this progress was on display at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2017 where many innovative and green technologies were presented by dynamic new companies and industry leaders. This annual tech show and conference strives to make its own showcase greener by every passing year.
Regardless of the strong lobbying against the green movement of some industries and governments, the demand and desire for people to adopt green solutions will only increase with time. Despite the anti-green stance of some politicians, investing in green technologies is crucial for many countries and businesses to stay relevant.
So which sustainable trends are gaining momentum and what can green-tech enthusiasts expect in the year 2017? Let’s take a look at some likely developments that will take place in sustainability this year!
Tech Startups on the Rise
To cater to the ever surging demand for green solutions, startups will dominate the ground by launching innovative, cost-efficient and sustainable solutions for everyday consumers, enterprises and for governments. Some of the startups which are set to make a big difference in the year’s green tech market include:
- Ferroamp—develops a power inverter that is three phase and bidirectional.
- Skeleton Technologies—makes next generation ultra-capacitors.
- Charge2change—creates hybrid bidirectional batteries.
- HySiLabs—produces hydrogen based fuel that powers a fuel cell.
It is anticipated that green tech startups will burst all over the world, especially in Europe where U.S investors have poured a recording breaking sum of $12 billion into the green industry which is projected to reach $13.6 billion by the end of the year.1
More Enterprises Welcome Sustainability
With an occurring shift in consumer demands and concerns about the origins of their products and the way they are manufactured, companies too are realizing the value of this upcoming new eco-focused market. Companies are making the efforts to adopt more eco-friendly methods and channels to benefit from the demand. This year many organizations are on the way towards making big changes for environmental sustainability by implementing such approaches in their operations, be it sustainable construction through 3-D printing,2 or eco-friendly fashion sourced from fair trade farmers, the trend is seeping everywhere.
To achieve the desired attention and admiration, companies will also need to be transparent and work with authenticity. Retailers are also going to embrace this shift and experiment with cutting edge tech and processes to assist them in sustainable operations in 2017. Through their trials of new experiences and social engagement methods, new store formats will also emerge both offline and online that will be suited to the sustainable infrastructure.
The Arrival of Smart and Green Homes
According to this CNBC report, 2017 will be the year when consumers will figure out the beauty of the tech of smart homes. Projections claim that the number of smart home adoptions will increase in the coming months as the evolving technology and its increased consumption encourages consumers to bring these digitized and smart concepts right into their homes. In 2016 alone, 80 million smart home devices were sold all over the world which also included smart door locks, sound system and smart assistants like Alexa and Google home. This was a 64% increase in smart home tech adoption from 2015.3
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Many companies that already supply home appliances like thermostats, furnaces and alarm systems are incorporating smart home tech into their packages which consumers will be taking when they upgrade their systems. Wynn Hotels in Las Vegas has already decided on installing Alexa in all of their suites.4 The reason why people are turning their houses smart is because when it comes to smart homes there is just something for everyone. For all the various individuals and their needs, smart home products address everyone’s basic priority to make homes more secure, accessible, energy efficient and sustainable than ever before. Smarter homes go with the homeowner’s social and ethical reasons for using their homes as tools that aid them in their energy consumption goals by offering greater control and management over their usage.
Other Tech Trends for the Year
In addition to these, other green tech trends will revolve around solutions for saving and optimizing water usage as it’s the next serious environmental challenge that we have to face, for which more new announcements are to be made this year.
Further, the current stats point to cloud-based technologies, which will become more commonly used by large and small corporations. These technologies are directly greener due to reduced server footprints reducing e-waste but also more efficient as it saves more energy and reduces electricity consumption. It’s worth observing that server virtualization is the most broadly adopted green IT venture implemented or planned, by 90 percent of IT organizations globally since 2011 reaching almost 100% soon.5 The occurrence of virtualization alone doesn’t make the most of energy and resource efficiencies. To quickly provision, transfer, and scale workloads, cloud-based structure depend on automation software. Added with the correct skills and operative plus architectural standards, automation permits IT experts to make the most of their cloud-based infrastructure investment by expanding the confines of traditional amalgamation and utilization ratios. The greater these ratios are, the less tangible infrastructure is required, which in turn enhances the energy and resource efficiencies from server virtualization.
Lastly, developing countries will see a rise in pay-as-you-go (PAYG) solar devices. This model of energy consumption provides renewable solar energy to those parts of the world where there isn’t any electricity. Through making green and clean energy affordable, Sub-Saharan African villages in countries like Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe were able to see light for the first time at little costs. These places were paying a high amount, 10-50% more than the developed world for electricity, but through solar power and paying for only the amount of energy they required, their costs were greatly reduced. To spread electricity in the most remote parts of the world while being green and sustainable, this system presents itself as the only viable solution.6
Corporations report that the PAYG working model replicates well from country to country which is why it’s speculated to be adopted throughout the world. It quickly reaches rural communities, unlike conventional wire and pylon method, by companies functioning with local distribution partners within each country, who also earn from each solar kit sale. Implementation of solar chargers naturally spreads quickly via word-of-mouth advertising. Once one family has had success with a PAYG solar system, other families often purchase one as well as the demand is already high.
With green technologies like these, the focus is often on maximizing benefits for all parties in interaction. Such technologies will go on increasing, multiplying and creating more green technologies, to become well meshed into the modern world, as we seek solutions for our current social and environmental issues through these breakthroughs and innovations.
James Smith is a passionate Health and Lifestyle Blogger who loves to write on trending topics. He is currently associated with eQuip Sells It, Leading Machinery Traders that Deals in Used Equipment for Sale. Follow him on twitter @jamessmith1609
