Linux in an Age of Austerity
COP15, the United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009, is only a month away. For many it represents the 'Last Chance Saloon' for combined action against climate change. As one would expect, the Conference's web site displays plenty of windmills and hybrid cars. No doubt it will be very well attended and trill to the sound of a thousand Blackberries and iPhones e-mailing and Twittering the latest forecasts of doom. Equally inevitably, those same attendees will be headed for the power outlets mid-afternoon (or sooner) for a fix of more electricity.
Thus this post is about the invisible. It is about the huge increase in power consumption that has come with the Digital Revolution and, possibly, what we can do about it.
The Digital Revolution
A quarter of a century ago there were no digital mobile phones, no PCs, no digital TVs or digital radios. In the last ten years especially the ownership of such devices has exploded globally. The public appetite for shinier, more powerful handsets is insatiable as is the electricity that they draw.
"Oh it's not much power".. you might say. Oh yes it is. Nowadays a 'first world' household uses about 3KW/hrs worth each day which is equivalent also to leaving all 20 of your low energy eco-light bulbs on day and night! In the not too distant future the vast populations of India and China will match us.
Here is a list of the common users of electricity in the digital household.
- A digital set top box consumes 31watts 'on', 30 watts when 'off''
- A 25" LCD TV running all day consumes 150watts
- Playing games on a desktop computer or surfing the web uses 200 watts
- It takes 10 watts to charge an iPhone (often the guys in our office are charging them twice a day)
- A DAB radio uses 2.5 watts... when it's not on!
The digital age is fun, shiny and cool. 'Digital Britain' is a flagship policy for the Government but it all comes at a huge carbon price. So what can be done to change our digital habits?
Is an 'Age of Austerity' the answer?
I don't like it any more than you do. I like shiny, I like powerful, I like new. And so do most people I know. Human nature will not allow us to take the 'hair shirt' option willingly. Ask Jeremy Clarkson. But as Gordon warns of climate catastrophe, maybe we've got to get used to the bristles of a more austere digital experience.
But how do we make the experience slightly less uncomfortable? Can eco-digital be cool and desirable enough for us to use voluntarily?
I don't claim to have all the answers but here are some suggestions:
Personal Computing
The Netbook I'm using right now runs off 15 watts. This is better than my desktop PC by an order of magnitude. However, I know that I could make it even more efficient by swapping its OS from pretty Ubuntu to austere Puppy Linux. That'll run well on only 5 watt computers. I'll just have to forget about the translucent windows and 3D rendering stuff..hey ho
Likewise the new breed of smartphones must be more energy efficient. If you're finding your iPhone needs recharging everyday, recycle it. If you need a smartphone go for a Palm Pre or something with a smaller carbon footprint. Alternatively ween yourself off the Facebook and Twittering apps that run-down your battery time. You did fine without them.
The Server Room
In the web services and data farm sector we see the most action. Electricity and bandwidth are the two major costs for service providers. Virtualisation technologies have really hit the data farms and are now moving into the business and the public sector. Virtualisation can reduce elctricty consumption of server side services by 60%.
In this area Linux-based virtualisation using KVM has a great story. If you want cool make the VM host a lovely blade and maybe turn off the air con?
Green Shoot?
All is not gloom and doom.
For example the new Prius car from Toyota averages 70mpg, a figure unthinkable ten years ago. This is due in part to a minor miracle in embedded digital engine management software (btw mostly on Linux os) which has the potential to reduce carbon emissions from cars significantly.
For another example consider the amazing e-ink displays, now standard on all e-reader devices. They need no power at all between screen refreshes. They surely herald a new era in low energy display technology.
Just two disparate examples for now, but they do at least show us that low energy is not synonymous with low performance or low 'cool'. Maybe this tell us that a lot more can be achieved without the 'hair shirt' being too scratchy!
Summary
Digital energy consumption is out of control yet remains all but invisible. The questions we need to answer are:
- Do we address the problem or ignore it?
- Do we encourage low digital consumption using coolness+conscience?
- Do we regulate it and let the market adapt?
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