The Footprint of Digital Products
Key takeaways:
Use as little hardware as possible.
Use as little electricity as possible.
Use clean electricity.
Digital Products need hardware and electricity.
Hardware is necessary to build and maintain digital products on the provider side and to use digital products on the user side. This refers to the clients as well as to the infrastructure.
As we know, hardware needs electricity to function. This electricity is a crucial requirement during digital products’ build and use phases, contributing significantly to their energy consumption.
Hardware Use
Key takeaways:
Hardware is made of physical material.
Hardware production, use and disposal causes carbon emissions.
Therefore, use as little hardware as possible. Use the hardware as long as possible. Use it circular.
Embodied Material
A digital product can require various forms of hardware: Laptops, servers, routers, mobile phones, connected appliances, and many more. These devices have a footprint.
Every piece of hardware has to be produced, requiring multiple resources, including water and energy. The sum of all materials used to make and dispose of a device is embodied material.
Embodied Carbon
Carbon emissions will likely be emitted during these devices' production and disposal processes. These emissions can stem from harvesting virgin resources and the energy mix used for production and end-of-life treatment. If fossil energy is used to produce the hardware, more emissions are emitted. The sum of all emissions caused by the production and disposal of a device is called embodied carbon.
Different devices have different embodied carbon levels, and the split between emissions caused by production and use can also be different.
Carbon emission per ICT end-user device, https://learn.greensoftware.foundation/hardware-efficiency
Implications of Embodied Material & Carbon
Efficiency: Digital products’ performance needs should be distributed over as few pieces of hardware as possible. The less hardware is used, the less embodied material and carbon are needed. Instead of using ten servers with 60%, six to seven servers should be used (keeping performance peaks in mind).
Longevity: Digital products must be highly downward compatible and support existing hardware. The more seasoned hardware is supported, the less embodied material and carbon are necessary. Existing hardware must be used as long as possible.
Circular Hardware: The hardware itself should be designed and used according to circular principles, irrespective of whether it is digital product enabled. This increases the lifetime of products and reduces the need for new materials. See ➰ Introduction to the Circular Economy for details.
Energy Use
Key takeaways:
Consuming energy causes emissions. Therefore, use the least amount of energy possible.
Carbon intensity of energy varies over time. Therefore, use more energy when it is clean and less energy when it is dirty.
Digital products need energy. Energy has to be produced. This production can emit emissions. There are two main strategies to reduce emissions:
Energy Efficiency: Use the least amount of energy possible.
Carbon Intensity: Emit the least amount of carbon for a defined amount of energy.
Mixed Energy Supply
Typically, energy is supplied by the general electricity grid. This grid always contains a mixture of multiple energy sources, e.g. wind, solar, nuclear, oil, gas, biogas, and coal. Unless one runs his grid, one’s energy consumption is met with a mix of all energy sources.
The transformation of fossil resources into electricity emits carbon. Most national grids still contain fossil-based energy, so regular energy consumption causes carbon emissions.
The energy mix is volatile. Renewable energy generation depends on weather conditions: It needs the sun to shine and the air to move to generate solar—and wind-based electricity. Storage technology can extend the availability of renewable energy to the near future. Therefore, the specific energy composition changes over time, allowing carbon emissions at a specific point in time to vary.
Change of Energy Composition and Carbon Emissions, https://learn.greensoftware.foundation/carbon-awareness
Energy Efficiency
The less energy used, the better.
Electricity needs to be produced from other forms of energy. This transformation and its infrastructure cause emissions. The less energy used, the fewer emissions.
Carbon Intensity
Electricity should be used when it can be provided with low levels of carbon emissions.
As electricity's carbon emissions can vary throughout the day or week, scheduling energy-savvy tasks for the right time keeps carbon emissions low.
Further Resources:
Green Software Practitioner Course by Green Software Foundation https://learn.greensoftware.foundation/
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