If you've ever wondered that, here's your answer:
I've estimated the electricity consumption for the internet as follows:Crikey! That's a lot of power! Time to look for better more sustainable power supplies for PC's? Perhaps we could all sit at our desks pedaling while we surf...
US: 350 billion kWh per year
World: 868 billion kWh per year
These numbers represent 9.4% of total US electricity consumption, and 5.3%
of global electricity consumption.
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The breakout of the data is as follows:
Annual Electricity Use for the Internet--US and World
Category..........................US Consumption.......World Consumption
.....................................Billion kWh........Billion kWh
(1) Data Centers (includes cooling)......45.................112.5
(2) PCs&Monitors........................235.................588
(3) Modems/routers/etc...................67.................167
(4) Phone network.......................0.4...................1.0
TOTAL ELECTRICITY DEMAND ~350 billion kWh ~868 billion
OF THE INTERNET ........................U.S.................World
