Balancing act
A transformation in the way people and businesses use technology could potentially reduce annual man-made global emissions by 15% by 2020 and deliver energy efficiency savings to businesses worth over £400 billion1
newer appliances, such as set-top boxes, have actually been designed to be left on to download updates as they become available .
. The Information Communications
Technology (ICT) sector will contribute significantly towards a low carbon economy through improvements in virtualisation technology, which will enable a change in behaviour without compromising the way we do business . There is also enormous potential to save energy from global infrastructure and industry, by providing “smart” solutions such as smart building design and smart electricity grids . After all, we can’t manage what we can’t measure.
However, there is a flipside to the advantages that technology can bring. Electrical devices waste vast quantities of energy when they are left plugged-in or on standby but not in use, with standby lights responsible for the production of 800,000 tonnes of CO2 annually in the UK alone2
. Mobile phone chargers continue to
consume energy when left idle but plugged into an outlet . Around two-thirds of the energy used by chargers is wasted in this way. Some
Although technological advancements have in some areas lead to dematerialisation, across the globe we now own more possessions than ever before including a plethora of electrical appliances. The fast pace of technological evolution, coupled with a throw away culture has resulted in electrical waste becoming the fastest growing waste stream in the UK, increasing at 5% per year .
Electrical waste is extremely damaging to the environment as appliances are energy intensive to produce, are mainly made from finite resources and lead to soil and water contamination when they end up in landfill, which over 75% do3
. These issues must be addressed
to ensure that the positive contribution that technology brings is not outweighed by the energy it consumes and the waste it generates.
Virgin Digital Help assists its customers to solve all types of digital problems. It has only been running since December 2009, however it aims to have impact on electrical waste by ensuring that people do not discard digital equipment unnecessarily.
Tele-working,
high-definition video- conferencing, e-paper, online shopping and remote communication.
Virtualisation is software technology which uses a physical resource such as a server and divides it up into virtual resources called virtual machines. Virtualisation allows users to consolidate physical resources, simplify deployment and administration, and reduce power and
cooling requirements.
Source: Virtualization Technology (http://www. virtualizationtechnology.com/)
Some of the biggest and most accessible opportunities for ICT to achieve these savings are through Smart motor systems, Smart logistics, Smart buildings and Smart grids
1. The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (June 2008). SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age.
2. BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4620350.stm) 3. Recycle More (http://www.recycle-more.co.uk/nav/page1763.aspx)
SMART technology uses two-way digital technology to monitor and control electronic devices so that they are used as efficiently as possible.
In total, ICT could deliver approximately 7.8 Gigatonnes CO2e of emissions savings in 2020.
Source: The Climate Group and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (June 2008). SMART 2020: Enabling the low carbon economy in the information age. (http://www.theclimategroup.org/ assets/resources/publications/ Smart2020ReportSummary.pdf)
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