As far as we’ve come in the creation of energy-efficient gadgets and expanding our understanding of the impact human activity has on the global climate, we still have a long way to go. The information technology ecosystem (ICT) accounts for about 10 percent of all the electricity consumed worldwide. Do you know what 1,500 terawatt hours looks like? Imagine combining the power production of Germany and Japan; that’s what it looks like.
Much of this power consumption is used through the transfer of data by mobile phones, laptops, digital TVs, and especially the computer server farms that make up “the cloud.” This power is also consumed through cellular service and wireless connections, as well as the energy used to charge their batteries.
But the technology sector has begun to take steps to reduce the deadly impact the industry has on the environment. Here are four ways it’s doing it.
Banding Together to Measure Impact
The European Commission has begun to work with 27 leading technology companies — including HP, Huawei, and Lenovo — to measure the carbon footprint the industry is generated from producing, transporting, and selling ICT products, networks, and services.
According to New Europe, the study is intended to establish a common measurement framework in order to get a clearer picture, and eventually a reduction, of CO2 emissions.
There are several standardization organizations and industry entities that have sought to establish a host of methods to measure and track the ICT sector’s carbon footprint,. The European Commission aims to take that a step further by developing a single measurement for the entire industry to follow.
The simple fact that 27 major tech companies are participating shows a desire to improve the outlook of carbon emissions and its effect on the planet.
Pilot-Testing Standards
The ICT industry pilot tested 10 international standards of carbon footprint measurement across a span of 10 months. The findings showed the methods to be “practically implementable and compatible”.
Never before has such an ambitious collaborative effort been made to establish standard green practices across an entire industry.
Using Renewable Energy Sources to Fuel Operations
A recent report by Computer World UK showed that major tech companies and corporations such as Microsoft and Intel, among others, are utilizing wind, solar, and hydroelectric power to fuel their facilities. For instance Microsoft is constructing a new data center next to a Wyoming landfill with plans to use the methane produced by the landfill to power it.
Other companies have set an example for their peers. The Environmental Protection Agency awarded Google the Green Power Partner of the Year award in 2011. The Internet-based giant has promised to eliminate its carbon footprint by investing in carbon-free renewable electricity to fuel its data centers and corporate facilities alike.
But they’ve been at it for longer than that. Google constructed a 1/7 megawatt solar farm in Mountain View, Calif. in 2007. Not only are these efforts easing the burden that has been placed on the environment over the last several decades, it’s saving a significant amount of money. That solar farm was projected to produce ROI within an astonishingly fast seven years.
It’s now expected to shatter that projection and yield ROI by the end of 2013. These and other efforts have greatly reduced the business electricity rates of those who opt to try it.
Setting an Example
As industry giants like Google and Apple seek alternative energy solutions and focusing on their carbon footprint, they have begun to turn heads. For instance, Microsoft has been exploring renewable energy options for more than a decade.
The tech mogul has instigated a carbon fee; a fee that Microsoft’s business groups must pay for each metric ton of carbon that is released in associate with data center operations. Computer World UK states that “The business divisions pay a carbon fee for each metric ton of carbon emissions associated with the operation of data centers, software development labs, office buildings and employee air travel. The carbon fee goes into a central fund used to purchase renewable energy and carbon offsets to achieve net carbon neutrality.”
This charge-back system holds the company’s business divisions accountable and responsible for offsetting their carbon emissions. It also serves as monetary motivation to reduce their carbon footprint.
From cooperating with international efforts to standardize their processes to embracing renewable energy, the tech sector has made (and continues to make) giant strides toward reducing its carbon footprint. The industry-wide trend of utilizing wind and solar farms and capturing methane gas to power has been noticed by industries worldwide and shows a clear concerted effort to make the world a better place to live.
