‘Green Cloud Computing,’ the word green with cloud computing, denotes that this is environment-friendly. This concept aims to reduce energy consumption as well as reduce waste that is disposed to the environment. Let’s first understand the basics of cloud computing and how it is used in today’s organizations. Cloud computing has made it possible to work without a physical server. It was used on campuses to connect servers in server rooms. Cloud computing allows organizations to eliminate physical servers and allows them to work remotely.

Cloud computing usage grew, and so did energy consumption. The environment has seen a significant increase in carbon emissions due to this increase in power consumption. This is due to an exponential rise in data servers and other infrastructure. Carbon emissions will be reduced if energy consumption is decreased. Cloud computing explores energy-efficient methods of working to reduce energy consumption. Cloud computing uses green computing to produce digital ways that are more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions.

The Advantages of Green Cloud Computing

There are many benefits to green cloud computing. Let’s now take a look at the many benefits of green cloud computing.

• Energy conservation by Green Cloud Computing

Google funded a project in 2013 to determine the energy consumption and carbon emissions of cloud computing. This new project will reduce the total energy consumption for common software programs like spreadsheets, email, and CRM systems to the cloud by 87%.

Cloud computing technology has reduced power consumption to a large extent. Cloud computing technology has reduced power consumption to a great extent. Servers were located in server rooms and required a constant power supply to keep them operating. The cooling systems also need the power to ensure that they don’t overheat. Coolers and servers must be disposed of when their useful life is up. Cloud computing reduces power consumption and hardware on-premises. We can reduce our power consumption even further with green computing and cloud computing.

• Remote Work reduces the carbon footprint in the environment

Remote working is one of today’s organization’s most important green cloud computing benefits. It allows for flexibility and remote work, and it can be done from any location and at any time. Remote working is one of the greatest advantages the corporate world has ever seen. This flexibility has resulted in increased productivity and a decrease in commute time for employees to get to work. This has resulted in a reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions to the atmosphere. Organizations can reduce their real estate costs and energy consumption in the office.

• Going paperless with Green Computing & Cloud Computing

Data can be safely stored in the cloud. Cloud storage is advantageous because it allows you to access your files from any location. Another important aspect is that data does not get lost, as could occur from server rooms or hard drives.

Organizations can go paperless with cloud computing and green technology. Today, the most popular green mobile computing storage options are OneDrive, SharePoint, and Google Drive. Secure cloud computing technology such as Adobe Sign and DocuSign has eliminated the need to print documents. With just a few clicks, users can sign, store and send legal documents and contracts in seconds.

Green computing can be used to manage technology resources, resulting in increased productivity and lower costs. Green cloud storage architecture reduces power consumption and still provides efficient services to customers. This architecture implements power management in cloud computing with the green algorithm.

• Reduction of E-waste Generation

Every decade, electronic waste is growing. The environment is being harmed by waste disposal. The USA disposes of an average of 24 million computers annually. 14% of computers can be donated or recycled. E-waste is also sent through a trade chain to developing countries, where it is imported. The scrap is recycled into segments and then burned. River pollution is caused by the e-waste that has been burned.

The Disadvantages Of Green Cloud Computing

• Implementation costs are high

Medium-sized and small businesses will need to invest more in green computing than they do in large enterprises. However, green computing is not affordable for everyone.

• It will be difficult to adapt to evolving technology.

Green cloud computing technology is constantly evolving, and it can be difficult for people to adjust to it immediately.

• Green Computers can be considered underpowered

Green computing would affect applications that require high power to function since the goal is to conserve energy.

Green Computing Approaches

These green computing methods are being used by organizations.

• Virtualization and Use of Terminal Servers

Virtualization allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on one computer. Virtualization allows applications to appear as though they are running on their own machine. Energy savings of up to 80% can be achieved by sharing the terminal and using common servers.

• Power Supply & Power Management

Transmission of electricity used only 60% and wasted 40% of its power. Green computing technology will make energy more efficient. The green algorithm, which manages power in cloud computing, reduces the power consumed by computers.

What is green cloud computing?

Many cloud service providers employ multiple strategies to achieve greener data centers. These efforts are directed at efficiency improvements in one or several of the following areas.

• Energy source. The provider uses renewable energy to power data centers. These include solar or wind energy as well as large battery banks to store the energy. Some providers use renewable energy credits ( RECs) to offset their carbon footprint. This allows them to claim that renewable energy is powered 100% of their data centers. However, RECs do not mean that you can eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
• Facility. A provider uses energy more efficiently at its data centers. A provider might find a data center underground, in colder climates, or on the ocean floor. A provider may also discover ways to make use of the heat generated by the data centers. For example, they might warm nearby buildings. Providers may also use machine learning or other advanced technology to monitor and optimize energy usage. Other strategies include modifying the layout of data centers to improve air circulation or installing a water cooling system to deal with equipment-generated heat.
• Infrastructure. A provider optimizes hardware and software infrastructure. A provider might use energy-saving strategies or hardware that uses dynamic voltage and frequency scaling ( DVFS) in order to lower power consumption. To maximize resource utilization, the provider may implement virtualization or software-defined infrastructure to reduce the number of servers and storage devices.
• Workflow. This provider employs multiple strategies to optimize workflows on every level. This could include moving workloads to other times, changing applications to reduce network traffic, and optimizing storage and server caches. Automating routine tasks is another way to reduce energy consumption.

Storage systems play an increasing role in energy efficiency as data continues to grow. The Storage Networking Industry Association ( SNIA) created the Green Storage Initiative (GSI) to address energy issues. It is dedicated to “advancing energy efficiency, conservation in all networked technology, and minimizing the impact of data storage operations on the environment.” SNIA has the Emerald Program as part of its efforts. This program provides resources to measure storage power usage and efficiency as well as ways to conserve energy in enterprise storage environments.

The color green is often associated with paper money. Therefore, the green cloud label has been used to describe cost-efficiency in cloud computing initiatives, though this is rare.

Applications in Green Cloud Computing

In the following areas of organizations, widely green computing is used

• Data Centers: Energy Management
• Green Wireless Network
• Green Parallel Computing and Big Data Network
• Green computing using an algorithm

Conclusion

The green cloud architecture aims to lower data center power consumption. Green cloud computing architecture has the advantage of ensuring real-time performance and reducing energy consumption at the IDC (Internet Data Center). Since 1992, the Going Green concept has been in existence. Green cloud computing, despite its drawbacks, is a viable option to save the eco-culture. This concept is constantly evolving, but it is essential to reduce carbon emissions.

This concept will save money and the environment. It is expected that e-waste disposal will reduce the risk to human life to a large extent. Green computing and cloud computing will both work together to reduce carbon emissions and provide a productive work environment for organizations. Today, green cloud computing and environmental sustainability are the most pressing issues.