Did you know that looking for information on a search engine consumes energy? Do you know if the cloud you are using is really reducing energy consumption?



 There is increasing demand for digital devices, more connected devices and digital information sources. Businesses are using cloud technology to store their data and reduce their energy consumption… but is this a sustainable solution?

 

Most of the energy consumed whilst using digital devices is not apparent. Not only do you need to charge your mobile phone, but you also use energy while you are checking your emails, browsing the internet or watching videos or movies online, that is not directly linked to the devices you are using.

 

Using a ‘’cloud” means that you use a network of remote servers hosted on the Internet to store, manage and process data, rather than a local server or a personal computer. Information on those systems or on the Internet is stored in datacentres somewhere around the world.

 

From the servers in your business to the datacentre you use when you use internet search engines, all this IT consumes energy. This equipment needs energy to work but also energy to cool them down.

 

It has been estimated that datacentres that power digital services are responsible for 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is the same amount consumed per year by air travel.[1]   

 

One of the biggest Internet provider’s carbon footprint was reported to be 1,766,014 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2013[2]. This is equivalent to 371,792 passenger vehicles driven for one year[3].  

 

On the bright side, some of those biggest IT companies are taking this into account. 

 

In 2009, Greenpeace started its Cool IT campaign calling IT companies to “drive green energy innovation, champion more efficient operations, and by 2010, to seek green, renewable sources of power for the proliferation of data centres.”[4]

 

There is room for innovation and creativity in this field and with an exponential reliance on digital devices, new solutions are needed. 

 

Is your business improving its IT energy consumption? Have you found an innovative way to reduce your energy consumption? 

 

The Vision in Business for the Environment of Scotland (VIBES) Awards is keen to hear from businesses that are doing just this. 

 

The awards recognise and reward businesses that are employing environmental best practice in their daily activity to cut down on resource use, increase sustainability and support wider sustaibnable development while also improving their reputation, enhancing competitiveness and often benefiting their overall bottom-line.

 

This could be anything from developing new products or services to implementing new practices that positively impact the environment and the business. 

 

VIBES understands the importance of developing new ways to do business that benefits the environment and has presented awards to over 100 companies from a variety of sectors and sizes. 

 

The awards are now in their 17th year and are open for entries until 5pm on June 30th. To find out more please visit Vibes.

 

 
[1] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/25/server-data-centre-emissions-air-travel-web-google-facebook-greenhouse-gas

[2] http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/25/server-data-centre-emissions-air-travel-web-google-facebook-greenhouse-gas

[3] https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator

[4] http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/cool-it/Cool-IT-factsheet/