Editor:
Cloud computing is becoming a big part of many people’s lives – whether they know it or not – and that growing computer cloud could have a very big silver lining for British Columbia.
For those not completely up on cloud computing, it allows people to put their files and software on remote servers which they can then access from wherever they are; on their laptop, desktop or any other computer device they own, including cellphones.
So what’s the silver lining for B.C.? Well, all those remote servers that support the cloud require a lot of electricity, particularly to keep them cool. And right now, most of the cloud computing servers around the world are being powered and cooled by coal-fired electricity. In fact, information and communications technology worldwide is now believed to rival the airline industry in terms of carbon emissions.
However, if the world’s cloud computing servers were moved to British Columbia, those servers could be powered by the abundance of clean, renewable energy available in this province, instead of by burning coal or gas. Moving all those energy-hungry computer servers to places like B.C., where clean electricity can be generated in abundance, seems like a very logical thing to do and a golden opportunity for British Columbia.
Charles Davis, White Rock