IT ENERGY IMPACT While the ICT sector has tremendous potential to drive renewable energy and transformational energy savings in other parts of the economy, the rapidly growing energy footprint of the IT industry is already very real, very significant, and the industry is increasingly relying on dirty energy to power its growth. Already, the aggregate global electricity demand of the data centres and telecommunications network that drive our modern online economy would rank among the top five countries in the world in terms of electricity use, and is expected to increase its use threefold in the next 10 years. (see chart, page 5.) The estimates of the IT sector’s carbon footprint performed to date have varied widely in their methodology and scope. One of the most recognised estimates of the IT sector’s footprint was conducted as part of the 2008 SMART 2020 study, which established that the sector is responsible for 2% of global GHG emissions. The report outlines three broad areas of greenhouse gas associated with our online and electronic world: Estimated GHG Emissions of ICT Sector:
116
MtCO2e = Million Tonnes Carbon Dioxide Equivalent
Emissions 2007 (MtCO2e)
Data centres
Telecoms and devices
Computers and devices
307
407
iClimate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI)(2008). SMART 2020: enabling the low carbon economy in the information age.
Comparison of Differences in IT Sector Energy Footprint: 1. Services, Software & Cloud Computing Companies (Fujitsu, Google, Microsoft, IBM, Oracle, SAP, TCS)
IT Energy Impact Scores Company Ranking
Score
1st
IBM
20
2nd
Alcatel-Lucent
18
3rd
Cisco
17
3rd
17
3rd
Dell
17
3rd
Wipro
17
7th
SAP
14
8th
Ericsson
13
8th
HP
13
10th
Vodafone
11
10th
Microsoft
11
12th
Sharp
10
13th
Fujitsu
9
14th
NEC
8
15th
NTT
5
15th
AT&T
5
15th
Oracle
5
15th
Telefónica
5
19th
HCL
4
19th TCS 4 With an increase in businesses run on software and services provided online, 21st Softbank 2 it is not surprising to see an expansion of data centres around the globe. Unfortunately, this industry growth is currently not being sourced by renewable energy in equal measure. The increase in and expansion of data centres provide the opportunity to set greater demands for renewable energy and thus create clear pathways towards achieving global emission reduction targets. With responsible infrastructure siting policies (location plans for building data centres), ICT companies have the opportunity to leverage its buying power to raise the bar of offered renewable energy in the areas in which it sites its own buildings. For a more detailed comparison of how global cloud computing companies are choosing clean sources of energy, please see How Dirty is Your Data.
2. Telecommunications Operators (AT&T, NTT, Telefonica,Vodafone) As telecom networks focus on sustaining growth and expansion into new markets and areas, they are increasingly troubled by the inadequacies ofpower grids around the world and risks of unexpected outages. In India, the sector has been continually reliant on diesel, and as a result is responsible for over 6m tonnes of CO2 emissions from diesel generated power annually. Network suppliers, such as Ericsson and Alcatel Lucent, are increasing their investment in energy efficient telecommunications infrastructure, and are beginning to offer solutions that can shift away from diesel to renewable powered base stations, but the telecommunication operators thus far lag behind in the adoption of this new form of investment. For a comparative analysis of the telecom sector in the India subcontinent, see report by Greenpeace India, Dirty Talking
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