Green Cloud Computing Explained (2024)

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By Andreea Andrei|2022-08-30T11:07:41+00:00August 30th, 2022|A-Z of Cloud Computing, Case Study, Cloud Computing, Futurology, Industry Chatter|

By Andreea Andrei, Marketing and Business Administration Executive atThe Cloud Computing and SaaS Awards

This article is part of an A to Z series by Cloud and SaaS Awards, continuing with G for Green Cloud Computing

Cloud computing consists of offering services through the Internet on a large scale. These services may include storage, databases, network services, applications, and security services.

One of the main purposes of cloud computing is the reliability, trustworthiness and performance at a low cost. However, there are new challenges in today’s world regarding the environmental issues for the industry. The cloud is being redesigned with environment-friendly features, such as e-waste and carbon print reduction and energy efficiency improvement, which ultimately constitutes the green cloud computing.

The influence of sustainability on green cloud computing

In the last two decades, consumers and developers of hardware and software have become more concerned with sustainability as a result of the explosive development in energy use. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have had a significant impact on the environment across the entire life cycle.

Studies on the environment have been conducted in the area of cloud computing, an ICT topic. Arguments and points of view in favor of and against these technologies exist. In addition to the interest demonstrated by the companies that offer cloud-based goods and services, there is also a lot of pressure from regulatory bodies to lessen environmental harm.

Since data centers are the foundation of cloud computing, the expansion of green data centers and the development of green cloud computing are closely intertwined. Koomey estimates that in 2010, 1.3% of all energy consumption was used by data centers. The percentage of total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from ICTs rosefrom 1.3% of global emissions in 2002 to 2.3% in 2020, according to a GeSI report, which is regarded as “one of the most comprehensive and well-recognized snapshots of the Internet’s energy demand at the global level.”

Green Cloud Computing Explained (2)

The Cloud Energy and Emissions Research Model Case Study

The Cloud Energy and Emissions Research Model is a modeling tool developed by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Northwestern University with a focus on cloud computing and energy use (CLEER). The energy savings from moving local network software and compute onto server farms are calculated by their model. The cloud is made up of these server farms.

According to the findings, switching all corporate users in the US to cloud computing may cut the primary energy footprint of email, productivity software, and customer relationship management software by as much as 87%. Even though the model does not account for all the factors, it can nevertheless be helpful in promoting energy efficiency in the data centers owned by Internet corporations. It might guarantee an improvement in energy transparency and enlighten customers so they can select the greatest offer. If data centers are constructed under the green computing principle, the advantages of cloud computing for environmental conservation will be more substantial.

Green cloud computing trends

Due to the attention that green computing is receiving from the computing world, there is a growing interest in researching how cloud computing affects the environment. It was in response to a Gartner report that said the worldwide ICT sector produced about 2% of the world’s CO2 emissions. GreenCloud, a new design that promises to reduce data center power consumption, was introduced by Liu et al. in 2009. However, the need to discover ways to reduce data center energy use is even older and has grown since 2009.

For the development of green cloud computing, these studies were crucial. Actual and future green cloud computing is based on green data centers, which maximize energy efficiency while minimizing CO2 emissions and e-waste, not just for ICT equipment but for all environmental factors (building, lighting, cooling, etc.). Green computing encompasses more than just how much power computers use.
In addition to other environmental concerns like CO2 emissions, (e-)waste management, and resource consumption, it covers the energy used by networks or cooling equipment. In this situation, there are divergent research interests in the area of green computing. They started by looking at how “sustainable” and “cloud computing” relate to one another.

How to move to green cloud computing?

Green Cloud Computing Explained (3)

Virtualization is the underlying technology behind cloud computing. Both academia and business have largely accepted this concept. Depending on management choices, virtual machines that house virtualized services can be moved, copied, created, and removed. This offers fantastic chances to raise a data center’s energy efficiency. To accomplish the goal, we outline three complementing steps that are highly novel:

  1. Energy-aware dynamic resource allocation
    The encapsulating services receive good performance isolation from virtual machines (VM). An intelligent system will assign resources to a newly generated VM depending on predetermined mechanisms. In actuality, the service’s workload is always shifting. If the workload is much less than the resource allotted, or if the workload exceeds redline, a static setup will result in energy inefficiency or a service-level agreement (SLA) violation.
    Therefore, based on online monitoring performance and workload forecast, our initial option is to dynamically reconfigure the virtual machine. There are two levels in it. The initial level, known as the machine level, is in charge of scaling the entire resource by descriptive video service (DVS) in terms of the overall workload. The second is the application-level, which is managed by a VM hypervisor and is in charge of handling specific application (or service) resource management, such as altering the distribution of resources among numerous VMs.
  2. Load balancing with consideration for thermal efficiency
    It goes without saying that the first stage is server-specific, making it less than ideal for a data center. Load balancing and just-in-size resource provision make sense for achieving global energy efficiency since the server’s dynamic power is a convex function of its frequency. In order to achieve minimal energy consumption, the majority of research uses absolute balancing in homogeneous environments (in a heterogeneous environment, it depends on the respective resource capability). Sadly, this type of approach is ineffective because the researchers just take the server into account and neglect the cooling power. Research shows that identical servers operate at various temperatures even when loaded equally. For example, the air flow in the middle of the aisles between the machine racks is better than it is near the ends of the aisles, keeping the middle of the aisles cooler than the ends. As a result, it is not ideal to evenly distribute the load among all servers. Thermal-aware energy-efficient load balancing is our second approach. When choosing to start/stop a VM or carry out a VM migration, load balancing takes place. The former has to compute the best placement and is influenced by application (or service) workload fluctuation. The latter is activated if the workload surpasses a predetermined threshold that takes into account resource capacity and temperature. It must determine the best course of action for moving each service to a different server.
  3. Efficient VM consolidation while taking into account overall energy
    When the burden is heavy, step two is effective. Consolidation has been shown to be more effective when the load is light. We believe that maximizing resource use alone will result in inefficiency. Servers collaborate with networks and the cooling system, as is well known. We can distribute the workload across a smaller group of servers with little network support by taking into account the network topology. Therefore, we must also turn off idle network links in addition to inactive servers (and switches).
    To further lower the needed cooling power, we can also take into account where the active servers and network switches are located. From a different angle, VMs frequently converse with one another, creating virtual network topologies. However, because of VM migrations or inefficient consolidation, the interacting VMs may end up being housed on physically distinct nodes that require expensive data transport. Network switches that use a lot of power may be used in the network communication if the communicating VMs are assigned to hosts in various racks or enclosures. Instead, this portion of the network traffic would be eliminated, allowing the switch’s ports to be set to a slower speed. As a result, it’s important to monitor VM communication and locate them on the same or nearby nodes. Implementing the VMs consolidation in an integrated manner is our third solution. In a decision model, two distinct relations must be taken into account. The first one is the connection between the cooling system, network fabric, and servers.
    The relationship between VMs is the second (namely applications or services).

This article focuses on a thorough analysis of current energy-efficient building practices for green cloud computing systems.
A novel approach called cloud computing integrates pre-existing technology to improve the effectiveness of resource consumption. Utilizing these technology has a variety of outcomes. Both positive and negative aspects of the influence of cloud computing on the ecosystem have been highlighted by the providers of such services and the authors of research conducted by organizations interested in environmental conservation.

Cloud computing is generally thought to favor a harmonious relationship with the environment to the extent that ICT equipment manufacturers and the businesses that provide services in the field align themselves with environmental policies and accept the suggestions of non-governmental organizations regarding ways to lessen the negative effects of hardware and software. This article addresses how cloud computing helps to protect the environment in light of the research that has been done so far in this area.

Green Cloud Computing Explained (4)

The Cloud and SaaS Awards on Green Cloud Computing

The Cloud and SaaS Awards team is embracing the responsibility businesses take for the environment and advancement of green cloud by recognizing its excellence in both programs. The Cloud Awards has Best Environmental or ‘Green’ Use of the Cloud category, as there are many potential ways the Cloud can help provide a better world for future generations; conversely, known problems such as power-hungry data centers have been known to cause potential issues with factoring in environmental credentials. Applicants should focus on how their use of cloud technologies are helping to make a better environment.

Winner of Best Environmental or ‘Green’ Use of the Cloud at Cloud Awards 2021-2022: Bringg

The Cloud Awards are passionate about preserving our beautiful Earth and we are always delighted to see our entrants making advances in these areas too. Bringg have correctly identified that increases in eCommerce use and home delivery services are placing an additional strain upon our planet .Bringg aim to help retailers meet net-zero pledges. Bringg wants to enable consumers to communicate their “green preferences” at check-out and, in turn, for businesses to communicate the carbon emissions saved per delivery.

The SaaS Awards has Best SaaS Product for CSR or Sustainability, where applicants must demonstrate either an approach to SaaS that incorporates innovation relating to CSR or sustainability, or innovation within the charity sector itself.

Winner of Best SaaS Product for CSR or Sustainaibility of the SaaS Awards 2022: Wolter Kluwer Enablon

We all share a responsibility for each other, and for our incredible planet Earth. It is more important than ever to us at the Cloud Awards that we recognize and celebrate corporate social responsibility. Many organizations share this ethos which is why we are so pleased to see our CSR category take off this year. Enablon provide a SaaS solution with an authentic focus on safety and sustainability, while still offering their customers a seamless experience in EHS, Operations and Risk Management. The impressive Enablon platform is tirelessly supported by a committed team of “Enablonians” who strive to make the world a safer and more sustainable place. It is their customer service that really sets them above the rest.

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About the Author: Andreea Andrei

Green Cloud Computing Explained (5)

Andreea Andrei is a content marketer with experience in several sectors, including IT, education and e-learning, providing managerial support. Andreea speaks five languages and splits her time between mainland Europe and the UK. Andreea graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a first-class degree in Business and Management.

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Green Cloud Computing Explained (2024)

FAQs

What is green computing and examples? ›

Examples include: Purchasing from Environmentally Committed Companies. Participating in Electronic Recycling Programs. Deploying Virtual Technologies. Limiting Printing and Recycling Paper.

What is the difference between cloud computing and green computing? ›

Cloud computing is computing based on the Internet. Green computing and green ICT are the sustainable business practices of reducing the environmental footprints of technology by efficiently using several resources.

How green cloud computing can save our environment? ›

And for good reason: cloud computing is capable of improving energy efficiency by 93%, and producing 98% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than on premises IT infrastructure, according to the Microsoft-WSP collaborative study.

What are the advantages of green cloud computing *? ›

Reduced Energy Consumption

That energy is used for powering physical servers, storage systems, network devices, cooling systems, etc. While cloud environments also have these components (which need to be powered up), they're more energy-efficient.

What are 5 ideas of green computing? ›

  • Develop a sustainable green computing plan. Discuss with your business leaders the elements that should be factored into such a plan, including organizational policies and checklists. ...
  • Recycle. ...
  • Make environmentally sound purchase decisions. ...
  • Reduce Paper Consumption. ...
  • Conserve energy.

What are the three goals of green computing? ›

The goals of green computing are similar to green chemistry: reduce the use of hazardous materials, maximize energy efficiency during the product's lifetime, the recyclability or biodegradability of defunct products and factory waste.

What are applications of green cloud computing? ›

Applications of Green Cloud Computing

Management of energy in Data Centers. Green Wireless Network. Green Parallel Computing with Big Data Network. Green computing with an algorithm.

What are the components of green computing? ›

Using energy-efficient hardware like notebook computers, displays, servers, printers and desktop computers. Better use of resources, such as reduced paper consumption and lower energy utilization. Greater awareness so that technology components don't end up in the waste stream.

What is green cloud architecture? ›

Green cloud architecture (GCA) is an IDC architecture that aims to reduce data-center power consumption. The advantage of this architecture is that it guarantees real-time performance, while saving in the total energy consumption of the IDC. Learn more in: Green Cloud Architecture to E-Learning Solutions.

What approaches can be taken to achieve green cloud computing? ›

Approaches in Green Computing
  • Product longevity. ...
  • Data center design. ...
  • Software and deployment optimization. ...
  • Power management. ...
  • Materials recycling. ...
  • Telecommuting. ...
  • Telecommunication network devices energy indices. ...
  • Supercomputers.

How can cloud computing reduce carbon emissions? ›

Does cloud computing reduce carbon footprint? Since cloud computing consumes less electricity on a global scale and allows many tasks to be performed remotely, it produces less CO2 and has the potential to reduce the ICT's global carbon footprint.

What is the future of green computing? ›

Reducing the power usage of computers and its periphery subsystems and using them in an eco-friendly manner. Also adopting virtualization reducing the need of energy. Recycling and reusing existing equipment, properly disposing the wasted IT/computing materials, electronic equipment etc.

What is the impact of green computing? ›

Reduced energy usage from green computing techniques translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used in power plants and transportation. Conserving resources means less energy is required to produce, use, and dispose of products. Saving energy and resources saves money.

What is advantages and disadvantages of green computing technology? ›

Few of the main benefits of green computing include; Less usage of energy for producing, using, and disposing of products, which translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions. Saving energy and resources saves money as a result of more efficient computing and running software.

What is green computing in simple words? ›

Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their resources. In broader terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering, manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a way that reduces their environmental impact.

Who invented green computing? ›

The term Green computing came into existence with the launch of Energy Star program in 1992 by U.S environmental protection agency. It aims towards electricity saving and less amount of heat generated by the computers. Widespread use of computers and related IT products has a very bad effect on the environment.

Why do we need green computing? ›

Green computing benefits the environment. Reduced energy usage from green techniques translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used in power plants and transportation. Conserving resources means less energy is required to produce, use, and dispose of products.

What technology is green computing? ›

Cloud storage provides greener computing services. Cloud storage is a service package in which data is stored, managed, backed up remotely and made available to users over a network and internet services. Cloud storage is based on a virtualized infrastructure with accessible interfaces.

How will this green computing change the world? ›

Green computing (also known as green IT or sustainable IT) is the design, manufacture, use and disposal of computers, chips, other technology components and peripherals in a way that limits the harmful impact on the environment, including reducing carbon emissions and the energy consumed by manufacturers, data centers ...

What is green cloud computing PDF? ›

green cloud computing that provides techniques and algorithms to reduce energy wastage by. incorporating its reuse. In this survey we discuss key techniques to reduce the energy. consumption and CO emission that can cause severe health issues.

Why green cloud optimization is profitable for you and the planet? ›

Reduce your number of servers and you'll save electricity and cut carbon emissions; switch to cloud providers and services that use renewable energy and you'll cut your carbon footprint even further.

What is green data storage? ›

Green storage is the practice of using a variety of "clean energy" storage methods and products to cut down on a data center's carbon footprint, as well as cost. With green storage, the goal goes beyond being environmentally friendly. Other benefits include lower costs, preserving energy and improving efficiency.

What is the best approach for green computing? ›

Green disposal: repurposing old technology or properly discarding or recycling obsolete electronic equipment are both viable options. Green design: Designing energy-efficient computers, servers, printers, projectors, and other digital devices is considered a sustainable and green design.

Is the cloud green? ›

Since the cloud is nothing more than a rented data center that someone else owns, cloud computing itself can't be much greener than any other data center technology. There is a myth surrounding the cloud regarding it as a green technology.

What is green cloud computing Javatpoint? ›

Green computing uses machines and their assets in an environmentally conscious and eco-friendly manner. In a general context, it's the research of how to build, develop, manufacture, use, and dispose of computing systems in a way that has a minimal environmental impact.

What are the pros and cons of implementing green computing initiatives within an organization? ›

Top 10 Green Computing Pros & Cons – Summary List
Green Computing ProsGreen Computing Cons
Energy savingsHigh upfront costs
Less greenhouse gas emissionsKnowledge of industry experts required
Less pollutionMay conflict with short-term profit maximization
Mitigation of resource depletionSignificant maintenance
6 more rows

How green computing is cost saving? ›

Green computing can be cost-effective

It's possible to develop an energy-efficient environment through the use of green IT, which strives to increase the efficiency of the company's activities. As it aims to make IT processes more efficient, it leads to reductions in energy consumption.

What is green cloud computing Wikipedia? ›

Green Cloud is “ the study and practice of designing, manufacturing , using and disposing of computers , servers and associated subsystems . Key issues are energy efficiency in computing and promoting environmentally friendly computer technologies .

What is green growth strategy? ›

Green growth is a strategy of investing in natural capital, thus making “green” a driver of economic growth that is ecologically sustainable. Green growth can also be used as an efficient strategy to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

What is green wireless network? ›

Green networking is the practice of selecting energy-efficient networking technologies and products, and minimizing resource use whenever possible. Green networking practices include: Implementing virtualization. Practicing server consolidation. Upgrading older equipment for newer, more energy-efficient products.

Is cloud computing really better for the environment? ›

Cloud computing can significantly reduce energy consumption, waste, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. According to Microsoft Corporation and WSP Global Inc., cloud computing is 93% more energy-efficient and has 98% lower GHG emissions than on-premises datacenters.

Does cloud computing harm the environment? ›

The Cloud now has a greater carbon footprint than the airline industry. A single data center can consume the equivalent electricity of 50,000 homes. According to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report, if the entire Cloud shifted to hyperscale facilities, energy usage might drop as much as 25 percent.

Is cloud computing environmentally sustainable? ›

In most cases, cloud computing is greener than traditional data centers. Just how green depends on the details of each individual deployment.

What are two major techniques involved in green computing? ›

Energy-efficiency and e-waste are two major techniques involved in green computing. Energy efficiency involves implementation of energy-efficient central processing units (CPUs), servers and peripherals as well as reduced resource consumption. And e-waste is the proper disposal of electronic waste.

How do you manage green computing? ›

Whether you want to help fight global warming or just plain save money on energy, these tips for green computing can help.
  1. Activate the power saving options. ...
  2. Turn it off! ...
  3. Optimize your computer's performance. ...
  4. If you have a laptop, use it more. ...
  5. Get rid of the cutesy screen saver. ...
  6. Dispose of old technology properly.

What is power consumption in green computing? ›

computer take 100 watts and laptop take only 17 watt. The ratio is about 6:1.It is estimated that data centers use. a large amount of energy and emit a very huge amount of heat.

What companies use green computing? ›

22 best green technology companies to watch out for
  • Pela.
  • Lettuce Grow.
  • Bluapple.
  • Sealed.
  • Inspire.
  • Dandelion Energy.
  • Molekule.
  • Span.
17 Jul 2022

What is green computing and why is IT important? ›

Green computing (also known as green IT or sustainable IT) is the design, manufacture, use and disposal of computers, chips, other technology components and peripherals in a way that limits the harmful impact on the environment, including reducing carbon emissions and the energy consumed by manufacturers, data centers ...

Where is green computing used? ›

Green design of data centers, office buildings and other high-energy assets has become a key part of new construction and building upgrades to make them more environmentally sustainable. An important consideration with green IT is to reduce the use of energy from fossil fuels.

What are the applications of green computing? ›

Green computing uses information and communication technologies in a more environmentally responsible manner. It allows businesses to enhance environmental responsibility by increasing energy efficiency, improving data management, and providing adequate analytical power.

What are some examples of clean technology? ›

The most famous examples of clean technology being electric cars, solar panels, wind, and wave energy. But energy isn't the only cleantech sector changing our planet for the better.

What are the features of green computing? ›

Using energy-efficient hardware like notebook computers, displays, servers, printers and desktop computers. Better use of resources, such as reduced paper consumption and lower energy utilization. Greater awareness so that technology components don't end up in the waste stream.

What is the future of green computing? ›

Reducing the power usage of computers and its periphery subsystems and using them in an eco-friendly manner. Also adopting virtualization reducing the need of energy. Recycling and reusing existing equipment, properly disposing the wasted IT/computing materials, electronic equipment etc.

Who invented green computing? ›

The term Green computing came into existence with the launch of Energy Star program in 1992 by U.S environmental protection agency. It aims towards electricity saving and less amount of heat generated by the computers. Widespread use of computers and related IT products has a very bad effect on the environment.

What is green computing in simple words? ›

Green computing is the environmentally responsible and eco-friendly use of computers and their resources. In broader terms, it is also defined as the study of designing, engineering, manufacturing, using and disposing of computing devices in a way that reduces their environmental impact.

What are the challenges of green computing? ›

Addressing green computing challenges

Data centers - Facilities of data centers are heavy consumers of energy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that data center facilities consume up to 100 to 200 times more energy than standard office buildings. Datacenter facilities are large energy consumers.

What are the approaches to green computing? ›

Approaches in Green Computing
  • Product longevity. ...
  • Data center design. ...
  • Software and deployment optimization. ...
  • Power management. ...
  • Materials recycling. ...
  • Telecommuting. ...
  • Telecommunication network devices energy indices. ...
  • Supercomputers.

What is the impact of green computing? ›

Reduced energy usage from green computing techniques translates into lower carbon dioxide emissions, stemming from a reduction in the fossil fuel used in power plants and transportation. Conserving resources means less energy is required to produce, use, and dispose of products. Saving energy and resources saves money.

What are the disadvantages of green technology? ›

Following are the disadvantages of Green Technology: ➨Initial investment or implementation cost is very high. ➨People are still not familiar with the technology and hence will take time to adopt it for larger population. ➨The technology is still evolving and many of the products are at R&D stage.

Is clean technology and green technology same? ›

Clean technology is also referred to as cleantech, green technology, and greentech. It defines a set of technologies that either reduce or optimize the use of natural resources, whilst simultaneously reducing the negative effect that technology has on the planet and its ecosystems.

What is the latest technology using for cleaning? ›

UV-C disinfection: This commercial cleaning technology is trending, but it might not be as effective as it's made out to be. One big reason for this is that there are some nuances to using the light.

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