Some time ago, Greenpeace presented us with a very interesting report regarding the importance of the internet in the world, considering it one of the greatest technological advancements we have built as a species. The study, among other things, refers to people's insatiable need to communicate through sending messages, photos, videos, etc., and also emphasizes the undeniable need to support critical systems of financial structures, transportation, or communication, among others. In essence, the report clearly indicates that the internet could be considered the central nervous system of the current and future global economy.
However, with this study, Greenpeace aims to convey that to provide service to our devices and meet the technological needs of society, Data Centers are necessary, and they require a high energy consumption. In 2017, global IT energy consumption was estimated to account for 7% of global energy, but all indications, as stated by the information and communication technology (ICT) sector, suggest that by 2025 we could be talking about 20% of global electricity consumption, emitting over 5.5% of carbon emissions, and we are not far from that now.
On the other hand, Synergy Research Group states in another of its reports that the number of hyperscale data center providers has tripled since 2013, reaching 504 hyperscale Data Centers by 2019. Among the most active companies in opening these Data Centers, we find Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Alibaba.
We all know that energy consumption today largely depends on fossil fuels, with the consequences it is currently causing us and could cause in the near future if we do not act as a society in this regard.
Unfortunately, a clear example can be seen with the current coronavirus situation. We can all observe that in cities/countries where mobility has been prohibited or minimized, air quality has improved to levels that we could never have imagined with current industrial systems. Even the quality of seawater and its reserves for humanity have significantly improved in percentage terms.
As a result, given the crucial role of the IT sector in addressing this environmental change, Greenpeace began to challenge major companies in the sector (with a particular focus on global internet providers), inviting them to commit to shifting their businesses toward 100% renewable energy consumption. In this way, they could ultimately decide what type of energy they want to choose for their business and the planet.
This race and acceptance of the challenge launched by Greenpeace began with such major platforms as Apple, Google, Facebook, and more and more companies with related businesses have joined, such as web hosting and cloud data companies (Global Cloud / Colocation), companies that were initially lagging behind in this environmental aspect.
n this regard, aside from the time that has passed since the dissemination of this Greenpeace report, we can now say that major companies around the world are already urging their service providers to implement policies that use renewable energy and optimize their energy consumption. Long-term contracts are becoming increasingly competitive, and renewable energies are making it possible for direct and indirect energy costs to be on par with current fossil fuels, while ensuring long-term pricing and making the planet more sustainable.
The investment in renewable energy capacity worldwide in 2019 amounted to $282.2 billion, according to BloombergNEF, with about $131.1 billion in solar. This indicates that the financial sector is increasingly betting on these investments due to their high profitability.
As mentioned in its report, Greenpeace highlights that although there are indeed more companies incorporating renewable energy into their businesses, there are also many companies whose commitments are more about status and image than transformative commitments. These companies seek to increase their business and recognition without being genuinely involved in transformation. They want to have the same prestige as those companies that are implementing transformation policies and are genuinely concerned about the planet's sustainability and improving their services.
In this regard, we clearly see that significant internet growth in East Asia is still driven by fossil fuels, dirty and without significant commitments to improvement. However, companies like those mentioned earlier (Microsoft, Facebook, Google, Apple, etc.) already have or will soon have 100% renewable energy in their data centers or supplied by their approved providers, demonstrating that using renewable energy is entirely feasible and profitable in 2020.
Other companies like Amazon Web Services are increasingly taking on the challenge of 100% renewable energy and have been working in this direction for some time. Renewable energy consumption in their data centers exceeded 50% in 2018, using wind farms and solar plants with over 297 MW. However, it's worth mentioning that some sectors criticize their lack of transparency in this regard.
Transparency in showing progress in the implementation of renewable energy plans is another important factor highlighted in the Greenpeace report. The growing demand for data centers continues to drive the use of fossil fuels, and major companies in the sector like AWS, Tencent, LG CNS, or Baidu still face criticism for their lack of transparency.
I encourage you to read the complete report at https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/global-warming/click-clean/ and gain a more comprehensive understanding of how the world's leading companies (related to the Internet and ICT sectors in all their aspects) are working with renewable energy and their reputation based on transparency in implementation and communication.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to let you know that Bjumper is committed to renewable energy. As a result, we have launched a service line directly focused on promoting and contributing to the sector. We offer all our clients the opportunity to show that they can make their businesses more profitable and actively participate in the true transformation of their companies toward the use of renewable energy, moving from purely status-driven actions to initiatives that will be recognized by their customers and society.
If you've read the entire article and reviewed the Greenpeace report, we encourage you (if you're not already familiar with us) to get in touch with us through marca@bjumper , or contact your personal account manager if you're already a part of our community.
That's why we want to offer you a preliminary study for the installation of solar energy, free of charge and with no obligation, so you can see the advantages of incorporating solar energy into your industrial business. We are convinced that reducing your energy bills, becoming more competitive in your sector, and contributing to a more sustainable planet are excellent reasons to do so.
