Cloud expected to provide significant energy savings boost

The rapid adoption of cloud computing might do more than just make companies more cost-effective and efficient - it is also expected to help the environment. According to a recent study by Pike Research, cloud computing will cut 38 percent of global data center energy output by 2020.

Eric Woods, senior analyst at Pike, says the cloud will have a huge impact on making IT enterprises more environmentally friendly. “The growth of cloud computing will have a very significant positive effect on data center energy consumption,” said Woods. “Software-as-a-service, infrastructure-as-a-service, and platform-as-a-service are all inherently more efficient models than conventional alternatives, and their adoption will be one of the largest contributing factors to the greening of enterprise IT.”

According to Pike’s Cloud Computing Energy Efficiency report, data centers will consume 139.8 terawatt hours of electricity in 2010, a 31 percent reduction of the 201.8 TWh they currently use. Without cloud computing, the consumption would increase to 226.4 TWh over the same time period.

Other studies have also concluded that cloud computing will help the environment. One recent study said large corporations could reduce their carbon footprint by 30 percent by using cloud services.