Key Highlights
- The computer absorbs approximately 600 kWh per day and emits 175 kg of CO2 per year. If it runs for eight hours per day.
- Every year, the internet releases about 300 million tonnes of CO2.
- In partnership with chipmaker Intel, the University of Michigan has created a new iron alloy that could be a key component of future magnet-based computers.
IT sector consuming the energy and emitting CO2
Computer in operation consumes an average of 200 watts per hour (loudspeakers and printer included). If it runs for eight hours per day consumes nearly 600 kWh and produces 175 kg of CO2 per year. Depending on the type, a laptop consumes between 50- 100 W/hour while operating. A laptop that is turned on for eight hours per day consumes between 150 and 300 kWh per year and emits between 44 and 88 kg of CO2. The internet emits about 300 million tonnes of CO2 per year. It is equivalent to all the coal, oil, and gas burned in Turkey or Poland. This is more than half of all fossil fuels burned in the United Kingdom. IT energy demand accounts for about 2% of global CO 2 emissions. It accounts for more than 10% of total global energy consumption (more than 50% of aviation’s energy consumption).
Increase in the amount of Carbon dioxide causing global warming
Electricity generation accounts for around 40% of global Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, with fossil fuels being burned to produce the heat required to power steam turbines. CO2 is a heat-trapping “greenhouse gas” and is responsible for global warming.
Computer with zero carbon emission
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a new iron alloy in collaboration with chipmaker Intel. This could be the key component for future magnet-based computers with reduced carbon emissions. The developed alloy has a magnetostrictive effect. It is based on the fact that when a magnetic object, such as iron, is immersed in a magnetic field, it subtly changes form. These alloys are more magnetostrictive, or versatile as their magnetic fields shift, by adding other metals (an alloy is a mixture of metallic elements) and fine-tuning their proportions. This magnetostrictor can be shape-shift by using electrical current to generate magnetic fields. This will allow the transformation of the electrical energy of the current into the mechanical energy of the magnetostrictor changing shape quite quickly.
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