Apple, Google and Facebook make a change for a greener internet

CLEAN, green, pollution-reducing internet machine. These tech giants are leading the charge to make the web run in an environmentally friendly way.

Tech companies are looking to renewable energy sources.

IF the internet were a country its electricity demands would rank sixth in the world. As the number of users grow Apple, Google and Facebook are leading the charge to make the internet a much greener place.

In a report by Greenpeace titled ‘Clicking Clean: How Companies are Creating the Green internet’ it highlights the immense power consumption the world’s biggest tech companies require to provide its customers with services. The total number of internet users is expected to hit three billion this year and with the likes of popular services such as Google, Twitter, Facebook there is an unyielding demand for data.

As of recently, Amazon provided most of these companies with a place on the web through its Web Services servers but over the past two years Apple, Google and Facebook have shifted away from Amazon’s hosting to a much greener, cleaner alternative run on 100 per cent renewable energy.

According to the report Amazon Web Services, which hosts the likes of Spotify, Pinterest, Netflix, Tumblr and Vine, currently sources only 15 per cent of its electricity demand with clean energy. Coal powers 28 per cent of the company’s cloud, nuclear 27 per cent, and gas 25 per cent.

Greenpeace reports “Amazon steadfastly refuses to reveal any details about it energy footprint” nor does Twitter who “has made no efforts to procure cleaner electricity”.

“By continuing to buy dirty energy, Amazon Web Services not only can’t seem to keep up with Apple, but is dragging much of the internet down with it,” said Gary Cook, Greenpeace Senior IT Analyst.

So, the tech giants decided to make a change and pioneer new energy sources in a bid to stop their contribution towards global warming.

Apple became the first company to achieve its 100 per cent renewable energy goal to power its iCloud and is currently operating the largest privately owned solar installation in the US.

Facebook decided to invest in wind energy and with a US$1.9 billion investment from MidAmerican Energy placed the world’s largest-ever order of onshore wind turbines in part to meet the social network’s demands.

Google also has been blown over by wind power and will be using the renewable source to provide electricity for Gmail and YouTube.

With the hope these major companies will influence others to also make a change sadly only five of the 19 leading internet companies evaluated by Greenpeace were committed to a goal of powering their operations with 100 per cent renewable energy.