Green Technology for a Better World

As a species, human beings have in a way become victims of their own success. We’ve landed on the moon, built the internet, made devices that mean we can communicate with anyone, anywhere, at any time. But our unbelievable technical advance has come at a cost. People are starting to wake up to the price that’s being paid for such rapid industrialisation, including species extinction, deforestation, climate change and pollution. The tech industry, therefore, is committing ever-growing effort and money in developing green technology.

Why we need Green Technology?

Despite widespread good intentions to decrease global energy consumption, it continues to trend upwards. While it’s true there was a temporary dip during the pandemic, the upward march has recommenced and global consumption is expected to increase by around 2% this year as economies recover. As we returned to work, shopping and production, the carbon being belched from factories, vehicles and power plants has returned to its inexorable rise.

The Telecom Industry and Our Planet

According to industry experts, in 2020, smartphones were responsible for 1% of global carbon emissions. This is forecast to rise to 3.5% by the end of the decade. Telecom network traffic is predicted to increase fivefold from 2018 to 2024, when it’s expected that on average each person in the world will upload data equivalent to 6,700 photos per day.

People are starting to realise that although surfing online or sending someone a video may be less polluting than revving down the street on a motorcycle or taking an intercontinental flight, these are not totally environmentally innocuous activities. As awareness rises, consumers and business clients are starting to demand more on the environment from their product and service providers. A company’s carbon footprint has become firmly embedded in its governance strategy, and the type of company going under the green microscope is expanding to include every imaginable industry.

From a consumer point of view, telecoms can be a bit of an ‘out of sight – out of mind’ business, but there is a considerable energy input going on behind the scenes to power our virtual lives. For example, as networks have expanded, telecommunication providers have had to find novel ways to deliver coverage in the most out-of-reach places. Networks sometimes have to be powered by non-conventional and off-grid solutions, especially in remote areas. A major mobile phone service provider can use up to 3 million litres of diesel a day to ensure its network is getting the power it needs.

Energy Efficient Technologies – Are Green Data Centres Feasible?

Researches show that 45% of ICT carbon emissions originate in data centres – another critical piece of infrastructure that doesn’t get much attention in daily life, but which absolutely underpins so many crucial aspects of it. Users are often unaware what a contribution they are making to global emissions just by sitting at home on the sofa and streaming a show or posting media online.

No one wants to try to turn back the digital revolution. The internet enables the modern way of life we now take for granted and the environmental advantages to be had from going digital are countless. But responsible telecommunication providers around the globe are responding these concerns by taking creative steps to reduce power consumption. Green communication networks, data centres and cloud computing have all become part of a new mission in the ICT industry. Inventive deployments of new technologies and AI are proving that the data cloud doesn’t have to cost the earth. You might be surprised just what’s being achieved out there, how, and by whom.

This year, Google reported that its data centres are twice as energy efficient as a typical enterprise data centre and that they are delivering as much as six times the computer power as five years ago. Examples like this spell hope for the future. Continual innovation can ensure the most motivated players can continue to make strides in technical performance while homing in on greater and greater energy savings.

Conscientious businesses are taking a lead and not just waiting for new legislation before pushing the green agenda forwards. China Telecom is at the forefront of the effort to reduce the size of the telecom carbon footprint in ways that would impress even the most demanding environmentally conscious.

Stay ahead in green cloud computing with China Telecom’s Turnkey Infrastructure

For organisations wanting to be at the forefront of green cloud technology, nothing can beat the following offerings:

China Telecom’s ICT Services

We offer professional ICT services in over 72 countries and regions with globally distributed technical support centres and local service teams. No matter what your particular needs: WANs, Customer Premises Equipment, Data Centres, Intelligent Buildings, IT Infrastructure, Security and more – we are there for you.

China Telecom’s one-stop-shop approach tailors a solution to meet your individual requirements.

Find out more about CTE’s ICT Managed Services.

China Telecom’s Data Centre Services

Wherever you are located in the world or whatever industry you are operating in, China Telecom’s Data Centre Solution offers you intelligent availability, compliance and scalability to ensure your systems are running as efficiently as possible.

Our low latency, stable and secure connections and customer service experience ensure maximum performance and ease with minimum time and energy expenditure. Discover more about CTE’s Data Centre Solution.