Put simply, clean energy means that energy is being generated in such a way that doesn’t negatively impact the environment; the biggest one of harm is greenhouse gas emissions. The world must shift towards clean energy to deal with the ongoing crisis of non-renewable fuel-generated energy worldwide that create an alarming number of climate disasters from rising sea level to earlier and more devastating weather anomalies. The green revolution is on the rise throughout the world and voices are being raised to cut off unhealthy habits for the sake of a better of the planet for everyone. But what impact does the internet, the largest uniting chain in the world, have on the use and development of clean energy? Can the internet itself be used via clean energy?
These are the burning questions of this century and we’ll go through these in the detail below. Let’s see the impact of the internet on the use of clean energy.
Development and use of clean energy
While other countries, like Germany and Denmark, are making huge strides to switch to cleaner power generation, the US lags behind with the exception of California, which is building solar into all new buildings. This is despite ambitious goals to become carbon neutral as promised in the latest round of climate talks. The internet, with its vast server farms that chug energy like an athlete chugs water after a marathon and the need for supercool environments, consumers vast amounts of energy and much of it isn’t clean. So, how do we fix this problem? Read on.
1. Knowledge Sharing
The first step in the direction of introducing anything new is making people aware of it. Influencing the masses towards switching to clean energy is not possible without the internet. The great archive that is the internet databases is very important to decapitate the facts and figures to the people. The acceleration of dialogue and deployment of clean energy has also been made possible because of the internet.
There is an increased discussion on the topic with more people from specialized academia and on-field sectors coming forward with useful information. The increased use of solar energy, wind energy, and other forms of clean energy that you see around you has a lot of credit to give to the internet.
2. Analyzing Granular Energy Data
Analyzing the data, especially of sensitive and everchanging phenomena such as energy consumption is very important. While the experts can’t be on-field everywhere all the time, the internet facility has made remote monitoring very easy. The data is shared with the experts directly from the location and using software, reliable conclusions can be drawn.
This also allows for real-time data collection as having experts in the field would take more time, effort, and resources. However, to get real-time data without interruptions, you need a stable internet connection like Mediacom Internet. The internet speed is amazingly fast, and the coverage is excellent.
Furthermore, we can have experts in technology-heavy places where not only data is conceived promptly, but also analysis can be done. Companies like Google have multiple Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in different regions for solar and wind electricity production.
3. Internet’s Sustainable Energy Consumption
Various sectors across the globe rely on the Internet, especially for communication and this is why global digital transformation is increasing by 10.4% each year. There is a strong need to revamp the energy uses of powering the internet itself as the current practices aren’t very environmentally friendly and sustainable.
This not only improves the energy charts of the world but also improves human health as well. This is why the experts are working on the development of internet connection through emission-free electricity. The integration of smart technologies like the Internet of Things especially into urban communities is also one such bright example.
It is also important to keep in mind that the conversion of internet production completely to non-renewable energy sources currently is very difficult. This is because we don’t produce enough of this energy to power the global internet needs.
4. Smart Home Energy Management Systems
Data has shown that due to outdated or no energy management systems in the residential building sector, a large amount of energy is wasted. But this problem is now being eradicated by the Internet of Things and its use in smart home gadgets. Smart Home Energy Management Systems or SHEMs can transform electrical devices into separate autonomous devices that can manage energy consumption independently.
Although this technology is rather new but will see a boost in the coming time when the use of the Internet of Things in the home sector increases. All these devices will be under control via the Internet so that energy consumption can be monitored as well.
5. Development of Smart Grids
Smart grids use a variety of digital technologies to develop, distribute and consume energy. The current energy grid system of the world is not sustainable for a long time if the good of the planet is thought about. It is high time that the outdated system is replaced with a new smart grid system that produces clean energy and doesn’t harm the environment.
A high level of computing is deployed at the smart grid for its proper functioning. Giants like Intel and Dell have also invested in this upcoming technological change. This collaboration between technology and the energy sector can bring a massive improvement in the current global environmental conservation efforts.
Conclusion
Clean energy is the need of the hour and the digital technologies are at the heart of it. The transition to more environment-friendly energy production is being driven by the internet and massive changes can be expected.
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