Google, Facebook and Apple lead the way on renewables, while Alibaba and Baidu's data centres run on coal. The internet consumes 12 per cent of electricity.
The internet and the information technology (IT) sector consume 7 per cent of all electricity worldwide, with growth estimated to reach 12 per cent by the end of this year. This demand will increase as the network expands globally and the volume of data exchanged within it grows. These are among the figures reported in the latest "Clicking Clean: Who is Winning the Race to Build a Green Internet?" report, produced by Greenpeace.
The research examines the various players across the global network, from service providers to internet giants to video streaming platforms. The picture that emerges is a divided one, with a very wide gap. On one side, giants such as Apple, Google and Facebook are working towards or have already achieved 100 per cent renewable energy use to power their data centres; on the other, platforms such as Amazon and Netflix are still lagging behind. This is without counting Asian giants such as Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent, which power their servers on coal.
The weight that one of the planet's most energy-intensive industries carries in the energy market is therefore clear. And the future implications are equally clear: if the major companies were to choose to use renewable sources to power their data centres, demand for renewable energy would increase further, consequently reducing the use of fossil fuels.
This is what Apple, Google and Facebook have been doing for some time. Indeed, the world's leading search engine will reach 100 per cent renewable energy for its servers this year. Greenpeace's ranking also gives positive marks to messaging platforms such as Skype and WhatsApp, while among social networks, in addition to those already mentioned, Instagram and LinkedIn feature positively. Twitter fares poorly, with just 10 per cent renewable energy, as does Amazon Web Services, at 17 per cent. "Despite announcements on renewables, Amazon continues to keep its customers in the dark about its energy decisions," said Luca Iacoboni, climate and energy campaign manager at Greenpeace Italy, in a press statement. "All of this is quite worrying, especially when we consider that the company is expanding its operations in geographical areas where predominantly dirty energy sources are used."
But the bulk of consumption comes and will continue to come from video streaming. According to Greenpeace, "in 2015 video streaming accounted for 63 per cent of total internet traffic, a figure that according to Cisco Network Traffic's 2016 forecasts is expected to reach 80 per cent by 2020."
And among streaming platforms, Netflix cannot go unmentioned — one of the most important in the world and in continuous growth, including in Italy. The company accounts for a third of internet traffic in North America and contributes significantly to data demand for video streaming. "In 2015," writes Greenpeace, "the company had announced its intention to fully offset its CO2 emissions, but a closer analysis revealed that it is only purchasing emissions offset credits, without increasing investment in renewable energy, the only way to achieve a clean future."
"Like Apple, Facebook and Google, Netflix is one of the biggest players in the internet galaxy and plays a key role in deciding what energy powers this sector," commented Iacoboni. "Netflix must therefore take responsibility for ensuring that its growth is powered by renewable energy, not fossil fuels, and must position itself as a leader on this issue."
Then there is the Asian web, which features carbon-copy versions of Western services that are largely banned on Chinese soil. From Alibaba to Baidu, the percentages of renewables drop dramatically (5 per cent between solar and wind) while coal use rises, hovering at around 67 per cent of the total. Samsung also fares poorly, with a coal share of 29 per cent.
All the more reason for the NGO to call on "major IT companies to develop strategies that increase the supply of renewable energy, both through direct investment and through pressure on electricity suppliers and policy makers."