1. 1 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Use of ICT to Mitigate Climate Change Sahalu B. Junaidu Computer Science Unit Department Mathematics Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria sahalu@abu.edu.ng

2. 2 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Use of ICT to Mitigate Climate Change  The Problem  Policies for Mitigating Climate Change  Role of Renewable Energy  ICT and Climate Change  ICT Abatement Techniques  Efficiency Paradox  Zero Carbon ICT Innovations  Summary  Recommendations

3. 3 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 The Problem  Global warming is one of the greatest challenges facing this planet  Caused, in part, due to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions  Must be tackled to make life worthwhile for future generations

4. 4 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Policies for Mitigating Climate Change  Currently industry and policy makers have focused on three approaches o promote smaller carbon foot prints: 1.Carbon offsetting  Companies and individuals undertake to reduce their carbon footprint  Rewarded with money from heavy emitters or make direct donations of money to compensate for their carbon emission  Has become very controversial as there are no industry standards and it has attracted some unsavory organizations and practices. 2.Cap and trade  Tax receipts are only spent on carbon reduction or sequestration projects  Has been very unpopular and is unlikely to gain much traction with the public in the near future.  Governments may treat as revenue source! 3.Carbon taxes  Apply to heavy GHG emitters like power plants  Record mixed success and are largely dependent on the arbitrary trading line as established by governments between those can sell credits and those who need to purchase them.

5. 5 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Role of Renewable Energy  What is renewable energy?  Energy generated from natural resources – sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat – which are renewable (naturally replenished)  Offers our planet a chance to reduce carbon emissions, clean the air, and put our civilization on a more sustainable footing  Also offers countries around the world the chance to improve their energy security and spur economic development.  More than 65 countries now have goals for their own renewable energy futures, and are enacting a far-reaching array of policies to meet those goals

6. 6 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 … Role Renewable Energy  And many renewables technologies and industries have been growing at rates of 20 to 60 percent, year after year, capturing the interest of the largest global companies  In 2007, more than $100 billion was invested in renewable energy production assets, manufacturing, research, and development  a true global milestone  In 2004, 3,000 delegates from 150 countries came together to share ideas and make commitments at the “Renewables 2004” conference in Bonn, Germany  Renewable energy has reached the top of the agendas of international policy processes under the United Nations, the G8, and other multilateral fora

7. 7 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 … Role Renewable Energy  $43 Billion Stimulus for Energy Technology  Obama’s administration  $30 billion for smart power grid, advanced battery technology and energy efficiency initiatives.smart power grid,energy efficiency  $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy and energy efficiency over the next decade.  $400 million to fund establishment of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy  $580 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology for technology innovation and manufacturing standards programs.  This energy funding is estimated to create nearly 500,000 jobs

8. 8 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT and Climate Change  It is estimated that ICT industry consumes anywhere from 6-10% of the world's energy and is responsible for 2-3% of the world's GHG emissions  About 40% of these emissions are from personal computers and cell phone  About 60% of the output comes from businesses, network operators, and application providers.  This emission is estimated to grow at 6% each year until 2020  Due to growth in demand for its products and services

9. 9 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Emissions: PCs and Peripherals  PCs are expected to be ubiquitous in developing countries, too, as the proliferation of Internet cafes indicates  The number of PCs globally is expected to increase from 592 million in 2002 to more than four billion in 2020.  In 2002, the PC and monitors’ combined carbon footprint was 200 MtCO2e  This is expected to triple by 2020 to 600 MtCO2e  A growth rate of 5% per annum!

10. 10 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Emissions: Data Centers  Buildings that house a collection of servers, storage devices, network equipment, power supplies, fans and other cooling equipment  Data centers will grow faster than any other ICT technology  Driven by the need for storage, computing and other information technology (IT) services.  Despite first-generation virtualization and other efficiency measures  In 2002, the global data centre footprint, including equipment use and embodied carbon, was 76 MtCO2e  This is expected to more than triple by 2020 to 259 MtCO2e  A growth rate of 7% pa  The fastest-growing contributor to the ICT sector’s carbon footprint,

11. 11 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Emissions: Telecoms Infrastructure and Devices  Increased mobile phone and Internet use had led to increase in telecoms infrastructure  Telecoms emissions has grown from 150 MtCO2e in 2002 to 300 MtCO2e in 2007 and is expected to reach 350 MtCO2e in 2020  The majority of emissions from mobile devices come from standby mode, the power used by chargers that are plugged in but not in use.  Overall consumption of telecoms devices is set to decrease over the 2020 timeframe because “smart chargers” (those that turn off when a device is not connected)  Telecoms devices’ emissions can be reduced further using greener ICT technologies

12. 12 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Reducing ICT Sector’s Footprints  The direct carbon footprint of the ICT sector is dominated by electricity consumption  Mitigate by  purchasing renewable electricity  installing renewable generation on site, and  making renewable electricity integral to ICT products  The ICT sector is uniquely placed to partner with power companies to optimize the existing electricity grid to allow more efficient power distribution and enable the use of more renewable or green power  Smart grids

13. 13 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Reducing ICT Sector’s Footprints: Barriers  Lack of information about the emissions impacts of products and services, especially in the context of complex configurations and integration.  Telecoms providers often don’t know the energy consumption of specific services  There are agency issues to overcome  person buying the company’s servers may not be responsible for their operating costs  may not include maximum efficiency as part of their buying specification.

14. 14 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 … Reducing ICT Sector’s Footprints: Barriers  Technological or market concerns  E.g., constant radical innovation is required to keep making processors more efficient  May hinder improvement of exiting processors  Inaccessibility of efficiency information of devices to consumers  Ongoing work: PC labeling schemes as Energy Star, etc

15. 15 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Abatement Techniques  The ICT sector can enable emission reductions in a number of ways:  Standardize:  ICT can provide information in standard forms on energy consumption and emissions, across sectors  Monitor:  ICT can incorporate monitoring information into the design and control for energy use  ICT can make energy consumption and GHG emissions visible through its products and services

16. 16 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 … ICT Abatement Techniques  Account:  ICT can provide the capabilities and platforms to improve accountability of energy and carbon  Rethink:  ICT can provide the data, which can be used to change behaviors, processes, capabilities and systems  Provide alternatives to current ways of operating, learning, living, working and travelling

17. 17 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 … ICT Abatement Techniques  Transform:  ICT can apply smart and integrated approaches to energy management of systems and processes  Transformation to low carbon, energy-efficiency solutions across all sectors of the economy.  Radical transformation of infrastructure possible if bottleneck areas are known

18. 18 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect  ICT can also enable other sectors mitigate climate change:  Transport – smart logistics  Building – smart buildings  Power – smart grids  Industry - smart motor systems  Dematerialization – in all the above  This opportunity estimated to be 5 times larger than ICT sector’s own carbon footprints  Translates into approx. $946.5 billion of cost savings  Assumption: cost of carbon is about $32 per ton  Realization requires a radical transformation of current infrastructure

19. 19 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Dematerialization  Replacing high carbon physical products and activities with virtual low carbon equivalents  ICT opportunities  E-commerce  Teleworking  Teleconferencing/videoconferencing  A study indicates using technology to dematerialize could deliver reduction equivalent to the total ICT footprint in 2002

20. 20 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Industry  Industrial activity is one of the largest contributors to global emissions  Can be reduced with optimized motors and industrial automation  Smart motor systems  Devices that can be controlled to adjust power usage to a required output  ICT opportunities  Monitor energy use and provide data to businesses so they can make energy and cost savings by changing manufacturing systems  Provide simulation software to help improve plant and manufacturing process design

21. 21 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Transport  Global goods transport is growing rapidly, as a result of globalization  ICT can assist with efficient packaging, transport, storage, consumer purchasing and waste  Smart logistics  A range of software and hardware tools that monitor, optimize and manage operations  ICT opportunities  Provision of software to improve the design of transport networks, allow the running of centralized distribution networks and run management systems that can facilitate flexible home delivery services  Optimizing logistics using ICT could result in a 16% reduction in transport emissions and a 27% reduction in storage emissions globally.

22. 22 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Buildings  Energy consumption in buildings is driven by two factors – energy intensity and surface area  ICT-based monitoring, feedback and optimization tools can be used to reduce both at every stage of a building’s life cycle, from design and construction to use and demolition.  Smart buildings  A suite of technologies used to make the design, construction and operation of buildings more efficient  ICT opportunities  Building management systems (BMS) that run heating and cooling systems according to occupants’ needs  Software that switches off all PCs and monitors after everyone has gone home  ICT offers a major opportunity to reduce emissions from buildings by 15% in 2020

23. 23 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Buildings  Energy consumption in buildings is driven by two factors – energy intensity and surface area.  ICT-based monitoring, feedback and optimization tools can be used to reduce both at every stage of a building’s life cycle, from design and construction to use and demolition.  Smart buildings  A suite of technologies used to make the design, construction and operation of buildings more efficient  ICT opportunities  Building management systems (BMS) that run heating and cooling systems according to occupants’ needs  Software that switches off all PCs and monitors after everyone has gone home  ICT offers a major opportunity to reduce emissions from buildings by 15% in 2020

24. 24 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Power  Current centralized energy distribution networks are often huge, inefficient grids that lose power in transmission  require an overcapacity of generating capability to cope with unexpected surges in energy use  Smart grids  A set of software and hardware tools that enable generators to route power more efficiently, reducing the need for excess capacity  Improve efficiency, energy monitoring and data capture across the power generation and T&D network  ICT opportunities  Smart meters  Dynamic demand systems – allow appliances like refrigerators to dynamically reduce their load at peak times  Electricity generation currently accounts for 57% of India’s total emissions  Reduction by 30% is possible with smart grids

25. 25 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 ICT Enabling Effect: Hurdles  The potential savings may not be easy to come by!  Policy, market and behavioral hurdles must be overcome  Chinese factory managers find it difficult to stop producing long enough to implement more efficient industrial processes  Risk revenue loss and competitiveness  Low adoption rates  Only 1-2% of US workforce teleworked in 2005  Technological barriers  Lack of capacity and skills to operate advanced automation technologies  Infrastructure  Lack of high quality, affordable Internet access services to all consumers and businesses

26. 26 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Energy Efficiency Paradox  Technology improvements allow for better energy efficiency, but those savings can be lost to greater consumption:  Smart meters in our homes may reduce energy costs, and allow us to afford larger homes which consume more energy  Congestion control systems may reduce traffic congestion but thereby encourage automobile usage  The largest consumption of energy for personal computers is in their manufacture as opposed to their operation  The manufacture of a typical desktop PC accounts for almost 80% of the total energy used in a 3 year life-cycle  Anything less than a target of zero carbon emissions throughout the entire ICT system will be less effective

27. 27 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Zero Carbon ICT Innovations  Zero-carbon strategies  Zero carbon inevitably means producing energy through renewable sources  Next generation networks (NGN) and Next generation Internet (NGI)  Network technologies to deploy zero carbon networks  wired and wireless networks,  new router and optical architectures, and  new distributed computing architectures  distributed grids and clouds using zero carbon data centers  use of Web services and SOA with virtualization,  consumer applications on zero carbon data networks  Incentives  To consumers  Companies

28. 28 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Summary  Global Warming is one of the greatest environmental challenges facing the planet  ICT technologies are both a cause of global warming and also a major part of the solution  ICT can empower other sectors in mitigating emissions  Realizing ICT’s potentials may be no easy win  Renewable energy sources provide the most promising alternative in the long run

29. 29 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 Recommendations  Do more to create a fiscal and regulatory environment that will encourage faster and more widespread adoption of ICT  Provide incentives to businesses and consumers to adopt efficiency measures  strengthening the business case for investing in efficiency technology and training more people to implement and operate products of new technologies  Provide disincentives to vested interests who want to perpetuate the status quo  Investment into the development of ICT energy efficiency technologies  R&D on NGN and NGI

30. 30 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 The End Thank You!

31. 31 FUTO Intl. Conference on Renewable Energy March 29 – April 2, 2009 References The GeSI study – SMART 2020: enabling the low carbon economy in the information age – the world’s first comprehensive global study of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector’s growing significance for the world’s climate, issued the 20th of June 2008, by the Climate Group and the Global e ‑ Sustainability Initiative (GeSI). See the report at www.gesi.org www.gesi.org An Inefficient Truth: http://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/event_detail.aspx?eid=2696e0e0-28fe-4121-bd36- 3670c02eda49http://www.globalactionplan.org.uk/event_detail.aspx?eid=2696e0e0-28fe-4121-bd36- 3670c02eda49 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jevons_paradox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_neutral http://www.thegreengrid.org/home