ICT Helps Energy Efficiency and Productivity: Report
Information and communications technologies have helped the economy achieve greater levels of productivity without increasing overall levels of energy consumption, a new study found.
Information and communications technologies have helped the economy achieve greater levels of productivity without increasing overall levels of energy consumption, a new report found.
"Information and Communication Technologies: The Power of Productivity," from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) explores the relationship between ICT innovations and overall U.S. energy consumption. Rather than concentrate only on the amount of energy ICT consumes, the report tries to examine the ways in which ICT has helped the economy become more efficient.
"Achieving greater levels of energy productivity requires that we start asking the right set of questions about the relationship between ICT systems and total energy use," said John Laitner, ACEEE Director of Economic Policy Analysis and study co-author. "Rather than focusing only on the direct energy consumed by ICT, we should instead recognize the ways in which these technologies have helped our economy become dramatically more efficient."
The report found that ICT has helped to reduce energy waste and improve efficiency because of breakthroughs in products such as sensors, microprocessors and virtualization. Energy efficiency gains jumped greatly since 1996: U.S. energy intensity declined 1.8 percent per year between 1970 and 1995, but after 1996, the rate dropped by 2.4 percent.
Producing a dollar of economic output takes half as much energy now as it did in 1970, the report found. Economic output expanded by nearly 65 percent since 1990, compared to a 23 percent growth in energy and power resources demand.
"Information and Communication Technologies: The Power of Productivity," from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) explores the relationship between ICT innovations and overall U.S. energy consumption. Rather than concentrate only on the amount of energy ICT consumes, the report tries to examine the ways in which ICT has helped the economy become more efficient.
"Achieving greater levels of energy productivity requires that we start asking the right set of questions about the relationship between ICT systems and total energy use," said John Laitner, ACEEE Director of Economic Policy Analysis and study co-author. "Rather than focusing only on the direct energy consumed by ICT, we should instead recognize the ways in which these technologies have helped our economy become dramatically more efficient."
The report found that ICT has helped to reduce energy waste and improve efficiency because of breakthroughs in products such as sensors, microprocessors and virtualization. Energy efficiency gains jumped greatly since 1996: U.S. energy intensity declined 1.8 percent per year between 1970 and 1995, but after 1996, the rate dropped by 2.4 percent.
Producing a dollar of economic output takes half as much energy now as it did in 1970, the report found. Economic output expanded by nearly 65 percent since 1990, compared to a 23 percent growth in energy and power resources demand.