Digitalisation, energy and data demand: The impact of Internet traffic on overall and peak electricity consumption. (April 2018)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Digitalisation, energy and data demand: The impact of Internet traffic on overall and peak electricity consumption. (April 2018)
- Main Title:
- Digitalisation, energy and data demand: The impact of Internet traffic on overall and peak electricity consumption
- Authors:
- Morley, Janine
Widdicks, Kelly
Hazas, Mike - Abstract:
- Abstract: Over the last decade, concerns have been raised about increases in the electricity used by information technologies, other consumer electronic devices, data centres, and to a much lesser degree, Internet distribution networks. At the same time, 'smart' innovations are widely anticipated to help reduce energy demand across diverse sectors of society. Yet such potential savings, as well as the increasing use of other digital services, are predicated upon continued expansion of digital infrastructures. This paper focuses on the phenomenal growth in Internet traffic, as a trend with important implications for energy demand. It outlines an agenda to better understand how data demand is changing. Drawing on findings from our own research in combination with secondary data analysis, we examine the alignment of peak demand for electricity and data. Peaks in data appear to fall later in the evening, reflecting the use of online entertainment, but this is far from fixed. Overall, the paper argues that a better understanding of how everyday practices are shifting, in concert with the provision and design of online services, could provide a basis for the policies and initiatives needed to mitigate the most problematic projections of Internet energy use.
- Is Part Of:
- Energy research & social science. Volume 38(2018)
- Journal:
- Energy research & social science
- Issue:
- Volume 38(2018)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 38, Issue 2018 (2018)
- Year:
- 2018
- Volume:
- 38
- Issue:
- 2018
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2018-0038-2018-0000
- Page Start:
- 128
- Page End:
- 137
- Publication Date:
- 2018-04
- Subjects:
- Internet -- Infrastructures -- Peak electricity demand -- Digital technologies -- Social practices -- Time-use
Power resources -- Social aspects -- Periodicals
Energy consumption -- Social aspects -- Periodicals
333.7905 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sciencedirect.com/ ↗
- DOI:
- 10.1016/j.erss.2018.01.018 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2214-6296
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
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- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
British Library HMNTS - ELD Digital store - Ingest File:
- 6215.xml