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Cloud Carbon Abatement: Opportunities and Misconceptions

In this chapter, we use a scenario-based approach to present the real opportunities for carbon abatement arising from the use of cloud services, but also to identify the dangerous misconceptions that could undermine their energy and carbon saving potential. In particular, we emphasise the key and often forgotten fact that improving energy efficiency does not necessarily amount to curbing Green House Gases (GHG) emissions. Making a clear distinction between reduced energy consumption and a lighter carbon footprint is of particular importance in the context of cloud services because of their global nature and the huge differences in the carbon intensity of electricity generation between countries. We also present evidence that not all businesses or services are equal with respect to the carbon abatement potential of a cloud-based alternative, with “low-tech” small and medium enterprises often offering the best prospects.