Louisiana's utility regulators continue to accept free food and drink from the companies they oversee and have failed to correct more than a dozen other problems found in a state investigation five years ago, the Legislative Auditor's office said in a report.
The auditor's office and the Public Service Commission clashed in 2003 when an audit said the PSC fails to look closely at utilities' finances, lacks crucial documents and is inconsistent in its rate-setting. PSC Chairman Jay Blossman said at the time that the allegations were political — Blossman and then-Legislative Auditor Dan Kyle were both running for governor.
The PSC disputes much of the new report, which is the result of an investigation under the new legislative auditor, Steve Theriot, and has similar findings.
In a terse response to the complaint about free meals, the PSC said it follows existing state ethics rules.
"The PSC does, and will continue to, comply with all statutory rules and PSC orders regarding gifts and meals/beverages," the panel said in a written response to the audit.
The commission, made up of five elected members, regulates electric, gas, telephone and other utility firms, including moving companies and waterworks.
The new audit finds weakness in the PSC's so-called "independence standards" — an overly cozy relationship with the firms it regulates. The report said Blossman accepted 49 free meals from regulated firms from 2002 through 2006, for a total of $1,546, or about $32 per meal.
"Our point is that accepting meals or beverages from entities the commission regulates could create the appearance of a conflict of interest," the audit said.
The report recommends that the Legislature consider imposing a new ethics law on the commission similar to the one lawmakers imposed on themselves earlier this year: They can accept meals worth no more than $50 from registered lobbyists.
Blossman, R-Mandeville, did not immediately return a call for comment. Blossman, whose term expires in December, is not running for re-election.
The elimination of free meals was one of more than a dozen changes the auditor recommended to the PSC. The report found the PSC regulators had refused to fully follow any of the 19 recommendations made in 2003, including:
• Develop a plan that requires PSC staff to determine if utility rates are appropriate. The PSC responded that the commission already performs thorough rate reviews.
• Document the rationale for "outsourcing," when the PSC hires outside lawyers or consultants. The PSC partly agreed, but insisted that the reasons for most of their hires are obvious.
The report said Blossman accepted free meals far more often than other commissioners. The other commissioners in office during the 2002-2006 period accepted the following:
• Lambert Boissiere III, D-New Orleans, four meals for $179, an average of $45 each.
• Foster Campbell, D-Elm Grove, two meals or beverages for $8, a $4 average.
• Former commissioner Irma Dixon, D-New Orleans, nine meals for $201, a $22 average.
• Jimmy Field, R-Baton Rouge, 32 meals for $952, a $30 average.
• Former commissioner Dale Sittig, D-Eunice, 52 meals for $794, a $15 average.
The report documents the total number of times PSC members, their spouses, and staffers accepted free meals and drinks. Including staffers and spouses, there were 646 instances of firms providing free meals, at a total value of $16,277 or about $25 per meal.
The meals came from companies including BellSouth Corp., Entergy Corp., Pointe Coupee Electric, Southwestern Electric Power Co. and various law firms that represent utilities.
National Grid Demand Flexibility Service helps stabilise the UK grid during tight supply, offering discounts for smart meter users who shift peak-time electricity use, reducing power cut risks amid low wind and import constraints.
Key Points
A National Grid scheme paying smart homes to cut peak-time use, easing supply pressure and avoiding power cuts.
✅ Pays volunteers with smart meters to reduce peak demand.
✅ Credits discounts for shifting use to off-peak windows.
✅ Manages tight margins and helps avert UK power cuts.
National Grid has decided not to activate a scheme on Tuesday to help the UK avoid power cuts after being poised to do so.
It would have seen some households offered discounts on their electricity bills if they cut peak-time use.
National Grid had been ready to trigger the scheme following a warning that Britain's energy supplies were looking tighter than usual this week.
However, it decided that the measure was not required.
Alerts are sent out automatically when expected supplies drop below a certain level. But they do not mean that blackouts are likely, or that the situation is critical.
National Grid said it was "confident" it would be able to manage margins and "demand is not at risk".
Discounts Earlier on Monday, the grid operator said it was considering whether to pay households across Britain to reduce their energy use to help out on Tuesday evening.
Under the Demand Flexibility Service (DFS), announced earlier this month, customers that have signed up could get discounts on their bills if they use less electricity in a given window of time.
That could mean delaying the use of a tumble-dryer or washing machine, or cooking dinner in the microwave rather than the oven.
Major suppliers such as Octopus and British Gas are taking part, but only customers that have an electricity smart meter and that have volunteered are eligible. About 14 million UK homes have an electricity smart meter.
The DFS has already been tested twice but has not yet run live.
Octopus, the supplier with the most customers signed up, said that some households had earned more than £4 during the hour-long tests, while the average saving was "well over £1".
It came after forecasts projected a large drop in the amount of power that Britain will be able to import from French nuclear power stations on Monday and Tuesday evenings.
The lack of strong winds to power turbines has also affected how much power can be generated within the UK, and efforts to fast-track grid connections aim to ease constraints.
Such warnings are not unusual - around 12 have been issued and cancelled without issue in the last six years, and other regions such as Canada are seeing grids strained by harsh weather as well.
However, they have become more common this year due to the energy crisis, and the most recent notice was sent out last week.
The situation means that the UK will have to import electricity from other sources on Monday and Tuesday evening.
Supplies are also expected be tight in France, forecasters say.
France has been facing months of problems with its nuclear power plants, which generate around three-quarters of the country's electricity.
More than half of the nuclear reactors run by state energy company EDF have closed due to maintenance problems and technical issues.
It has added to a massive energy crisis in Europe which is facing a winter without gas supplies from Russia.
Reload.Land 2025 returns to Berlin with electric motorcycles, e-scooters, test rides, a conference on sustainability, custom builds, a silent ride, networking, innovators, brands, enthusiasts, and an electronic afterparty, spotlighting Europe's cutting-edge electromobility scene.
Key Points
Reload.Land 2025 is Berlin's electric motorcycle festival with test rides, panels, custom bikes, and a city silent ride.
✅ Test rides for electric motorcycles and e-scooters
✅ Conference on technology, sustainability, and policy
✅ Custom exhibition, Silent Ride, and electronic afterparty
Reload.Land, Europe's pioneering festival dedicated to electric motorcycles, is set to return for its third edition on June 7–8, 2025. Held at the Napoleon Komplex in Berlin, a city advancing sustainable mobility initiatives, this event promises to be a significant gathering for enthusiasts, innovators, and industry leaders in the realm of electric mobility.
A Hub for Electric Mobility Enthusiasts
Reload.Land serves as a platform for showcasing the latest advancements in electric two-wheelers, reflecting broader electricity innovation trends, including motorcycles, e-scooters, and custom electric bikes. Attendees will have the opportunity to test ride a diverse selection of electric vehicles from various manufacturers, providing firsthand experience of the evolving landscape of electromobility.
Highlights of the Festival
Custom Exhibition: A curated display of unique electric motorcycles and vehicles, highlighting the creativity and innovation within the electric mobility sector, from custom builders to Daimler's electrification plan shaping supply chains.
Reload.Land Conference: Engaging panel discussions and presentations from industry experts, focusing on topics such as cutting-edge technology, sustainability, including electricity demand from e-mobility projections, and the future of electric transportation.
Silent Ride: A group electric-only ride through the streets of Berlin, alongside projects like the city's electric flying ferry initiative, offering participants a unique experience of the city while promoting the quiet and clean nature of electric vehicles.
Official Afterparty: An evening celebration featuring electronic music, providing attendees with an opportunity to unwind and network in a vibrant atmosphere.
Community and Networking Opportunities
Reload.Land is not just an event; it's a movement that brings together a global community of riders, innovators, and brands. The festival fosters an environment where like-minded individuals can connect, share ideas, and collaborate on shaping the future of electric mobility, with similar gatherings like Everything Electric in Vancouver amplifying awareness worldwide.
Event Details
Dates: June 7–8, 2025
Location: Napoleon Komplex, Modersohnstraße 35–45, 10245 Berlin, Germany.
Entry Fee: €10 (Children up to 14 years free)
Reload.Land 2025 promises to be a landmark event in the electric mobility calendar, offering a comprehensive look at the innovations shaping the future of transportation, echoing the public enthusiasm seen at EV events in Regina this year. Whether you're a seasoned rider, an industry professional, or simply curious about electric vehicles, Reload.Land provides a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of electric motorcycles.
ITER Nuclear Fusion advances tokamak magnetic confinement, heating deuterium-tritium plasma with superconducting magnets, targeting net energy gain, tritium breeding, and steam-turbine power, while complementing laser inertial confinement milestones for grid-scale electricity and 2025 startup goals.
Key Points
ITER Nuclear Fusion is a tokamak project confining D-T plasma with magnets to achieve net energy gain and clean power.
✅ Tokamak magnetic confinement with high-temp superconducting coils
✅ Deuterium-tritium fuel cycle with on-site tritium breeding
✅ Targets net energy gain and grid-scale, low-carbon electricity
It sounds like the stuff of dreams: a virtually limitless source of energy that doesn’t produce greenhouse gases or radioactive waste. That’s the promise of nuclear fusion, often described as the holy grail of clean energy by proponents, which for decades has been nothing more than a fantasy due to insurmountable technical challenges. But things are heating up in what has turned into a race to create what amounts to an artificial sun here on Earth, one that can provide power for our kettles, cars and light bulbs.
Today’s nuclear power plants create electricity through nuclear fission, in which atoms are split, with next-gen nuclear power exploring smaller, cheaper, safer designs that remain distinct from fusion. Nuclear fusion however, involves combining atomic nuclei to release energy. It’s the same reaction that’s taking place at the Sun’s core. But overcoming the natural repulsion between atomic nuclei and maintaining the right conditions for fusion to occur isn’t straightforward. And doing so in a way that produces more energy than the reaction consumes has been beyond the grasp of the finest minds in physics for decades.
But perhaps not for much longer. Some major technical challenges have been overcome in the past few years and governments around the world have been pouring money into fusion power research as part of a broader green industrial revolution under way in several regions. There are also over 20 private ventures in the UK, US, Europe, China and Australia vying to be the first to make fusion energy production a reality.
“People are saying, ‘If it really is the ultimate solution, let’s find out whether it works or not,’” says Dr Tim Luce, head of science and operation at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), being built in southeast France. ITER is the biggest throw of the fusion dice yet.
Its $22bn (£15.9bn) build cost is being met by the governments of two-thirds of the world’s population, including the EU, the US, China and Russia, at a time when Europe is losing nuclear power and needs energy, and when it’s fired up in 2025 it’ll be the world’s largest fusion reactor. If it works, ITER will transform fusion power from being the stuff of dreams into a viable energy source.
Constructing a nuclear fusion reactor ITER will be a tokamak reactor – thought to be the best hope for fusion power. Inside a tokamak, a gas, often a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, is subjected to intense heat and pressure, forcing electrons out of the atoms. This creates a plasma – a superheated, ionised gas – that has to be contained by intense magnetic fields.
The containment is vital, as no material on Earth could withstand the intense heat (100,000,000°C and above) that the plasma has to reach so that fusion can begin. It’s close to 10 times the heat at the Sun’s core, and temperatures like that are needed in a tokamak because the gravitational pressure within the Sun can’t be recreated.
When atomic nuclei do start to fuse, vast amounts of energy are released. While the experimental reactors currently in operation release that energy as heat, in a fusion reactor power plant, the heat would be used to produce steam that would drive turbines to generate electricity, even as some envision nuclear beyond electricity for industrial heat and fuels.
Tokamaks aren’t the only fusion reactors being tried. Another type of reactor uses lasers to heat and compress a hydrogen fuel to initiate fusion. In August 2021, one such device at the National Ignition Facility, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, generated 1.35 megajoules of energy. This record-breaking figure brings fusion power a step closer to net energy gain, but most hopes are still pinned on tokamak reactors rather than lasers.
In June 2021, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor maintained a plasma for 101 seconds at 120,000,000°C. Before that, the record was 20 seconds. Ultimately, a fusion reactor would need to sustain the plasma indefinitely – or at least for eight-hour ‘pulses’ during periods of peak electricity demand.
A real game-changer for tokamaks has been the magnets used to produce the magnetic field. “We know how to make magnets that generate a very high magnetic field from copper or other kinds of metal, but you would pay a fortune for the electricity. It wouldn’t be a net energy gain from the plant,” says Luce.
One route for nuclear fusion is to use atoms of deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. They fuse under incredible heat and pressure, and the resulting products release energy as heat
The solution is to use high-temperature, superconducting magnets made from superconducting wire, or ‘tape’, that has no electrical resistance. These magnets can create intense magnetic fields and don’t lose energy as heat.
“High temperature superconductivity has been known about for 35 years. But the manufacturing capability to make tape in the lengths that would be required to make a reasonable fusion coil has just recently been developed,” says Luce. One of ITER’s magnets, the central solenoid, will produce a field of 13 tesla – 280,000 times Earth’s magnetic field.
The inner walls of ITER’s vacuum vessel, where the fusion will occur, will be lined with beryllium, a metal that won’t contaminate the plasma much if they touch. At the bottom is the divertor that will keep the temperature inside the reactor under control.
“The heat load on the divertor can be as large as in a rocket nozzle,” says Luce. “Rocket nozzles work because you can get into orbit within minutes and in space it’s really cold.” In a fusion reactor, a divertor would need to withstand this heat indefinitely and at ITER they’ll be testing one made out of tungsten.
Meanwhile, in the US, the National Spherical Torus Experiment – Upgrade (NSTX-U) fusion reactor will be fired up in the autumn of 2022, while efforts in advanced fission such as a mini-reactor design are also progressing. One of its priorities will be to see whether lining the reactor with lithium helps to keep the plasma stable.
Choosing a fuel Instead of just using deuterium as the fusion fuel, ITER will use deuterium mixed with tritium, another hydrogen isotope. The deuterium-tritium blend offers the best chance of getting significantly more power out than is put in. Proponents of fusion power say one reason the technology is safe is that the fuel needs to be constantly fed into the reactor to keep fusion happening, making a runaway reaction impossible.
Deuterium can be extracted from seawater, so there’s a virtually limitless supply of it. But only 20kg of tritium are thought to exist worldwide, so fusion power plants will have to produce it (ITER will develop technology to ‘breed’ tritium). While some radioactive waste will be produced in a fusion plant, it’ll have a lifetime of around 100 years, rather than the thousands of years from fission.
At the time of writing in September, researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor in Oxfordshire were due to start their deuterium-tritium fusion reactions. “JET will help ITER prepare a choice of machine parameters to optimise the fusion power,” says Dr Joelle Mailloux, one of the scientific programme leaders at JET. These parameters will include finding the best combination of deuterium and tritium, and establishing how the current is increased in the magnets before fusion starts.
The groundwork laid down at JET should accelerate ITER’s efforts to accomplish net energy gain. ITER will produce ‘first plasma’ in December 2025 and be cranked up to full power over the following decade. Its plasma temperature will reach 150,000,000°C and its target is to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for every 50 megawatts of input heating power.
“If ITER is successful, it’ll eliminate most, if not all, doubts about the science and liberate money for technology development,” says Luce. That technology development will be demonstration fusion power plants that actually produce electricity, where advanced reactors can build on decades of expertise. “ITER is opening the door and saying, yeah, this works – the science is there.”
COVID-19 Solar Job Losses are erasing five years of workforce growth, SEIA reports, with U.S. installations and capacity down, layoffs accelerating, 3 GW expected in Q2, and policy support key for economic recovery.
Key Points
COVID-19 Solar Job Losses describe the pandemic-driven decline in U.S. solar employment, installations, and capacity.
✅ SEIA reports a 38% national drop in solar jobs
✅ Q2 installs projected at 3 GW, below forecasts
✅ Layoffs outpace U.S. economy without swift policy aid
Job losses associated with the COVID-19 crisis have wiped out the past five years of workforce growth in the solar energy field, according to a new industry analysis.
The expected June 2020 solar workforce of 188,000 people across the United States is 114,000 below the pre-pandemic forecast of 302,000 workers, a shortfall tied to the solar construction slowdown according to the Solar Energy Industries Association, which said in a statement Monday that the solar industry is now losing jobs at a faster rate than the U.S. economy.
In Massachusetts, the loss of 4,284 solar jobs represents a 52 percent decline from previous projections, according to the association’s analysis.
The national 38 percent drop in solar jobs coincides with a 37 percent decrease in expected solar installations in the second quarter of 2020, and similar pressures have put wind investments at risk across the sector, the association stated. The U.S. is now on track to install 3 gigawatts of new capacity this quarter, though subsequent forecasts anticipated solar and storage growth as investments returned, and the association said the decrease from the expected capacity is equivalent to the electricity needed to power 288,000 homes.
“Thousands of solar workers are being laid off each week, but with swift action from Congress, we know that solar can be a crucial part of our economic recovery,” with proposals such as the Biden solar plan offering a potential policy path, SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper said in a statement, as recent analyses point to US solar and wind growth under supportive policies.
London, Ontario Power Outage disrupts the electricity grid, causing a citywide blackout, stalled commuters, dark traffic signals, and closed businesses, as London Hydro crews race restoration after a transformer malfunction and infrastructure failures.
Key Points
A blackout caused by a transformer malfunction, disrupting commuters, businesses, and traffic across London, Ontario.
✅ Traffic signals dark; delays and congestion citywide
✅ London Hydro crews repairing malfunctioning transformer
✅ Businesses closed; transit routes delayed and rerouted
A widespread power outage early Monday morning left thousands of residents in London, Ontario, without electricity, causing significant disruption for commuters and businesses at the start of the workday. The outage, which affected several neighborhoods across the city, lasted for hours, creating a chaotic morning as residents scrambled to adjust to the unexpected interruption.
The Outage Strikes
The power failure was first reported at approximately 6:30 a.m., catching many off guard as they began their day. The affected areas included several busy neighborhoods, with power lines down and substations impacted, issues that windstorms often exacerbate for utilities. Early reports indicated that the outage was caused by a combination of issues, including technical failures and possible equipment malfunctions. London Hydro, the city's primary electricity provider, responded quickly to the situation, assuring residents that crews were dispatched to restore power as soon as possible.
"Crews are on site and working hard to restore power to those affected," a spokesperson for London Hydro said. "We understand the frustration this causes and are doing everything we can to get the power back on as soon as possible."
Impact on Commuters and Businesses
The power outage had an immediate impact on the morning commute. Traffic lights across the affected areas were down, leading to delays and rush-hour disruptions at major intersections. Drivers were forced to navigate through intersections without traffic control, creating an additional layer of complexity for those trying to get to work or school.
Public transit was also affected, with some bus routes delayed due to the power loss at key transit stations. The situation added further stress to commuters already dealing with the challenges of a typical Monday morning rush.
Businesses in the affected neighborhoods faced a variety of challenges. Some were forced to close early or delay their opening hours due to a lack of electricity. Many shops and offices struggled with limited access to the internet and phone lines, which hindered their ability to process orders and serve customers. Local coffee shops, often a go-to for busy workers, were also unable to operate their coffee machines or provide basic services, forcing customers to go without their usual morning caffeine fix.
"For a lot of people, it's their first stop in the morning," said one local business owner. "It’s frustrating because we rely on power to function, and with no warning, we had to turn away customers."
The Response
As the hours ticked by, residents were left wondering when the power would return. London Hydro’s social media accounts were filled with updates, keeping residents informed about the restoration efforts, a practice echoed when BC Hydro crews responded during an atypical storm. The utility company urged those who were experiencing issues to report them online to help prioritize repair efforts.
"We are aware that many people are affected, and our teams are working tirelessly to restore power," the utility posted on Twitter. "Please stay safe, and we thank you for your patience."
Throughout the morning, the power was gradually restored to different areas of the city. However, some parts remained without electricity well into the afternoon, a situation reminiscent of extended outages that test city resilience. London Hydro confirmed that the outage was caused by a malfunctioning transformer, and the necessary repairs would take time to complete.
Long-Term Effects and Community Concerns
While the immediate effects of the outage were felt most acutely during the morning hours, some residents expressed concern about the potential long-term effects. The city’s reliance on a stable electricity grid became a focal point of discussion, with many wondering if similar outages could occur in the future, as seen in the North Seattle outage earlier this year.
"I understand that things break, but it’s frustrating that it took so long for power to come back," said a London resident. "This isn’t the first time something like this has happened, and it makes me wonder about the reliability of our infrastructure."
City officials responded by reassuring residents that efforts are underway to upgrade the city's infrastructure to prevent such outages from happening in the future. A report released by London Hydro highlighted ongoing investments in upgrading transformers and other key components of the city's power grid. Province-wide, Hydro One restored power to more than 277,000 customers after damaging storms, underscoring the scale of upgrades needed. Despite these efforts, however, experts warn that older infrastructure in some areas may still be vulnerable to failure, especially during extreme weather events or other unforeseen circumstances.
The morning outage serves as a reminder of how reliant modern cities are on stable electricity networks. While the response from London Hydro was swift and effective in restoring power, it’s clear that these types of events can cause significant disruptions to daily life. As the city moves forward, many are calling for increased investment in infrastructure and proactive measures to prevent future outages, especially after Toronto outages persisted following a spring storm in the region.
In the meantime, Londoners have adapted, finding ways to go about their day as best they can. For some, it’s a reminder of the importance of preparedness in an increasingly unpredictable world. Whether it’s an extra flashlight or a backup power source, residents are learning to expect the unexpected and be ready for whatever the next workday might bring.
Cloud Data Centers Environmental Impact highlights massive electricity use, carbon emissions, and cooling demands, with coal-heavy grids in China; big tech shifts to renewable energy, green data centers, and cooler climates to boost sustainability.
Key Points
Energy use, emissions, and cooling load of cloud systems, and shifts to renewables to reduce climate impact.
✅ Global data centers use 3-5% of electricity, akin to airlines
✅ Cooling drives energy demand; siting in cool climates saves power
✅ Shift from coal to renewables lowers CO2 and improves PUE
A hidden environmental price makes storing data in the cloud a costly convenience.
Between 3 to 5% of all electricity used globally comes from data centers that house massive computer systems, with computing power forecasts warning consumption could climb, an amount comparable to the airline industry, says Ben Brock Johnson, Here & Now’s tech analyst.
Instead of stashing information locally on our own personal devices, the cloud allows users to free up storage space by sending photos and files to data centers via the internet.
The cloud can also use large data sets to solve problems and host innovative technologies that make cities and homes smarter, but storing information at data centers uses energy — a lot of it.
"Ironically, the phrase 'moving everything to the cloud' is a problem for our actual climate right now," Johnson says.
A new study from Greenpeace and North China Electric Power University reports that in five years, China's data centers alone will consume as much power as the total amount used in Australia in 2018. The industry's electricity consumption is set to increase by 66% over that time.
Buildings storing data produced 99 million metric tons of carbon last year in China, the study finds, with SF6 in electrical equipment compounding warming impacts, which is equivalent to 21 million cars.
The amount of electricity required to run a data center is a global problem, but in China, 73% of these data centers run on coal, even as coal-fired electricity is projected to fall globally this year.
The Chinese government started a pilot program for green data centers in 2015, which Johnson says signals the country is thinking about the environmental consequences of the cloud.
"Beijing’s environmental awareness in the last decade has really come from a visible impact of its reliance on fossil fuels," he says. "The smog of Chinese cities is now legendary and super dangerous."
The country's solar power innovations have allowed the country to surpass the U.S. in cleantech, he says.
Chinese conglomerate Alibaba Group has launched data centers powered by solar and hydroelectric power.
"While I don't know how committed the government is necessarily to making data centers run on clean technology," Johnson says. "I do think it is possible that a larger evolution of the government's feelings on environmental responsibility might impact this newer tech sector."
In the U.S., there has been a big push to make data centers more sustainable amid warnings that the electric grid is not designed for mounting climate impacts.
Canada has made notable progress decarbonizing power, with nationwide electricity gains supporting cleaner data workloads.
Apple now says all of its data centers use clean energy. Microsoft is aiming for 70% renewable energy by 2023, aligning with declining power-sector emissions as producers move away from coal.
Amazon is behind the curve, for once, with about 50%, Johnson says. Around 1,000 employees are planning to walk out on Sept. 20 in protest of the company’s failure to address environmental issues.
"Environmental responsibility fits the brand identities these companies want to project," he says. "And as large tech companies become more competitive with each other, as Apple becomes more of a service company and Google becomes a device company, they want to convince users more and more to think of them as somehow different even if they aren't."
Google and Facebook are talking about building data centers in cooler places like Finland and Sweden instead of hot deserts like Nevada, he says.
In Canada, cleaning up electricity is critical to meeting climate pledges, according to recent analysis.
Computer systems heat up and need to be cooled down by air conditioning units, so putting a data center in a warm climate will require greater cooling efforts and use more energy.
In China, 40% of the electricity used at data centers goes toward cooling equipment, according to the study.
The more data centers consolidate, Johnson says they can rely on fewer servers and focus on larger cooling efforts.
But storing data in the cloud isn't the only way tech users are unknowingly using large amounts of energy: One Google search requires an amount of electricity equivalent to powering a 60-watt light bulb for 17 seconds, magazine Yale Environment 360 reports.
"In some ways, we're making strides even as we are creating a bigger problem," he says. "Which is like, humanity's MO, I guess."
Whether you would prefer Live Online or In-Person
instruction, our electrical training courses can be
tailored to meet your company's specific requirements
and delivered to your employees in one location or at
various locations.
