The Environmental Benefits of Cloud Computing

A new report released by the Carbon Disclosure Project in London has found that blue-chip companies can reduce their carbon emissions by 50% if they move their data storage operations to the cloud.

The study focused on major IT companies in France and the United Kingdom. These are the same companies which are also developing such “cloud” technologies and services. The release of the report follows an announcement that the use of cloud services may well triple within the next two years.

Cloud computing differs from the standard computing which we all know because all the software and information are not located in the computer CPU. Instead, these resources are provided to computers and other devices over the internet, similar to a home’s use of electricity through the electrical grid. The desired programs and files are manipulated over the web.

The benefit of cloud computing is that individual computers require less hardware because they won’t have to hold the gigabytes and terabytes of information. Companies can use servers located elsewhere to manage and process data. Less hardware equates to less energy consumed, and thus, lower carbon emissions.

The study found that in the UK, large companies that use cloud computing could achieve annual energy savings of £1.2 billion (€1.39 billion or $1.90). Carbon emissions saved is equivalent to the annual emissions of over 4 million passenger vehicles. For a country like France which is heavily reliant on nuclear power, the savings in emissions is much lower.

Cloud computing also lowers emissions by speeding up transactions. On the cloud, every piece of information and program is made available at any computer with an internet connection.

However, cloud computing does have its opponents. Many are concerned with privacy and the security of data. Instead of data being stored on your machine, it potentially be accessed by anyone with the ability to hack. Some are also concerned that cloud computing will lock users into proprietary systems and further big monopolies. One man, Richard Stallman, founder of the Free Software Foundation, has gone as far as calling the cloud a “trap”.

Nonetheless, the widespread adoption of cloud computing would have a positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. However, it would have to be adopted around the world and not just in Europe.