It’s also important to consider the less positive aspects of the cloud when it comes to environmental impact and for all businesses involved in cloud computing to reduce this impact wherever possible.
The main environmental impact of using the cloud comes from the amount of energy it takes to run and maintain very large data centers.
As these data centers contain thousands of servers, all of which must be powered on 24/7 to ensure their clients have access to their data at all times, the energy needs of each data center is substantial.
Additionally, the servers require cooling systems to combat the constant heat they are generating, which also has a massive energy requirement.
Making The Cloud Greener
Cloud providers are well aware of the environmental impact of using their technology and many big companies are putting research and funding into developing greener systems.
The Green Grid Association was set up as a non-profit consortium of cloud providers, energy companies, and end users, with the aim of improving data center efficiency and reducing environmental impact, worldwide.
Google has stated it is committed to energy efficiency and uses its own resources to design facilities with smart technology that use 50% less energy than other data centers. Currently 35% of the energy to power these data centers is supplied by renewable sources.
Amazon’s data centers are powered by wind and solar energy, alongside traditional non-renewable energy sources, and the company aims to be using 50% renewable energy by the end of 2017.
Microsoft has also shown its concern for environmental issues by hiring a new Director for Datacenter Sustainability and has reduced water usage in their data centers by designing an air-cooling system.
Large-scale cloud providers realize that a commitment needs to be made to reduce their environmental impact and they are putting money and resources into making cloud computing greener for everyone.
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