Thursday 19 November 2009

ICT could reduce carbon emissions by 25%

ICT-based technologies have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 25% in the G20 countries, compared with 2006 baseline emissions, says IDC.

The analyst has been focusing on where ICT can bring 'immediate benefit in reducing carbon emissions'. It believes that significant reductions can be made across all the sectors it surveyed: energy generation and distribution, buildings, transport, and industry.

Technologies highlighted include integrating renewable energy into energy distribution using smart grids, ICT-enabled smart building systems, ICT-optimized supply chains, and variable motor controls in industrial machinery.

IDC's study focused only on technologies that are 'currently mature enough to be implemented within three years (given investment and government approval); have significant network and processing bandwidth requirements; and are standalone technologies, applicable to specific industries and usage patterns.'

Commenting on these results, Roberta Bigliani, research director at IDC Energy Insights, said, "ICT-based technologies have considerable potential to reduce carbon emissions. The advantage of the technologies we have identified is that they are already reasonably mature, if not widely implemented. Given that carbon emissions reductions made quickly have more impact on global warming than those that take longer to implement, we recommend that governments and industry immediately evaluate and implement these technologies."