Listen: Using Drones Strategically Could Cut Emissions

The insurgence of drone technology has certainly generated a lot of excitement all over the world as many are visualizing the future of delivery, but what if we told you that this also could have the potential to be huge for the future of reducing energy emissions?

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Colorado put together a study looking to find out how this can benefit the environment and the results were mixed. Even though drones would use considerable less energy, they would still need the support of urban warehouses or waystations which would in some cases bridge the gap in energy saved.

Looking at the research, there are certainly many factors at play like: the weight of the package being delivered, the size of the drone itself, and naturally, the types of power plants being utilized on the grid. LLNL Scientist Joshua Stolaroff had this to say, “A light package – say, a pair of sunglasses – flown by a small drone over a few miles, saves a lot of energy and greenhouse gas emissions compared to a delivery truck. But, a larger package – say, a computer monitor – flown by a drone large enough to carry it, probably does worse than a delivery truck.” All in all, there is still a lot to be discovered here as even though drone technology might not be in a spot yet in terms reducing energy across all boards, it still has the opportunity to get there with the right minds studying it day by day.