Cloud Begins With Coal.pdf

The  Cloud  Begins  With  Coal  

4

THE  CLOUD  BEGINS  WITH  COAL  

BIG  DATA,  BIG  NETWORKS,  BIG  INFRASTRUCTURE,  AND  BIG  POWER  
AN  OVERVIEW  OF  THE  ELECTRICITY  USED  BY  THE  GLOBAL  DIGITAL  ECOSYSTEM  
 
 

 

Where Electricity Is Consumed in the Digital Universe
 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

Global Electricity Demand: The Cloud, Illumination, and EVs

 

The global ICT ecosystem uses as much electricity as global lighting did circa 1985, and in two decades will likely use triple
the energy of all EVs in the world by then, assuming an optimistic 200 million EV forecast.
[“Cloud” is used here to refer to the entire global ICT ecosystem, and not to a more narrow definition of Cloud business services.]
[Red triangles indicate global ICT estimates from Greenpeace. Coal use is based on current global 40% share of electricity generation.]

©  DIGITAL  POWER  GROUP