Google has developed ametricthat shows how clean the company’s cloud regions are around the world.
Shifting to cloud computing could slow the growing problem of computing pollution.
Linthicum added that cloud computing is more efficient than using computers on site.
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Measuring Clean Energy
Google calls its new metric the Carbon-Free Energy percentage (CFE%).
The number shows the average mix of carbon-free and fossil-fuel energy used to power Google’s data centers.
And thecompanys numbers showthe cloud is cleaner.
The search giant has said that it wants to only use carbon-free energy by 2030.
We measure our progress along this path with our carbon-free energy percentage."
Using cloud computing could help the environment, Linthicum said.
“you could think of it as the way we consume power from the grid,” he added.
wind and solar," Andersson said.
Some cloud technology is more efficient than others.
Cloud platform developerKloudGinclaims its business users can consume resources only when they need them.
Cloud providers also can reduce their power consumption by using special components for networking and security services.
“Offloading services that are typically run on general-purpose CPUs not only reduces power requirements,” Andersson said.
