What Is Green Website Hosting?
What does it mean to have a green website? Learn all about green website hosting, its effects on the environment, and how to choose a hosting provider.
Did you know that the internet emits 1.6 tons of carbon per year?
The primary culprit is server farms. Server farms hold the content we know and love, process it, and then distribute it to us. And in some cases, a single server farm can use over 100 megawatts of power.
With climate change disasters on the horizon, we must do everything we can to slow or stop carbon release. We can’t get rid of our website hosting. But we can use green hosting.
Green hosting means using green energy sources to power the internet’s future. Join us as we discuss how hosting servers with renewable energy will change the future.
Why Is Website Hosting So Power Hungry?
First, some good news: servers aren’t consuming more power despite increasing in prevalence. However, these are big operations. Our grid takes a hit for every server farm running on it.
Crunching numbers is an energy-intensive process. A server consists of processors, spinning and solid state discs, and all sorts of add-ons. Multiply that by a dozen and you can see how this would get costly on the energy side.
Further, wattage goes up in proportion to demand. During the busy, waking hours, a server has to work harder to handle a heavier load.
From sunup until late in the night, we are using servers. They provide our streaming entertainment, send us emails, and process transactions. In short, servers rarely, if ever, get a break.
Not only does a server have to run, but it also has to protect itself. Its security programs analyze incoming traffic for malicious actors. Its website management keeps a website from shutting down due to various issues.
Servers need to remain on 24/7. They don’t shut down like your local store. Even when humans have gone to bed, a server may still process push notifications and other services.
In short, there’s very little that servers don’t do these days. They’re essential, but at the same time, they’re power hungry.
Our Problem With Dirty Energy
The UK now generates more clean energy than dirty, but that’s not good enough. The entire world needs to become carbon neutral very soon, or we could cause irreversible climate damage.
When you get your WordPress hosting for very cheap, there’s a good chance it runs on dirty energy. Energy from coal-fired plants and gas burning are affordable. Unfortunately, they put a ton of carbon into the atmosphere.
Our transition to green energy will be costly. We need to discover which green energies are most efficient. Further, we need to discover how to make this energy cheaper for everyone.
This transition will be a bumpy one. Coal-fired plants can run 24/9, but windmills and solar panels cannot.
One serious issue is batteries. We need a long-term, affordable battery storage solution. This would allow us to store excess energy and use it during downtimes.
As a society, we haven’t figured out how to run a green-only energy grid. It would require a patchwork of many small solutions that work in tandem. To avoid random blackouts, experts in these fields need to find solutions.
The best green energy solution at present is nuclear, but many people oppose it. All of this is to say that the situation is a tricky one. But despite all this, green hosting is still the way to go.
Why Green Hosting Is the Future of Hosting Servers
The answer is relatively simple: it enacts change with your money.
Ever heard the phrase, “Vote with your dollars”? The more people turn to green hosting, the more they increase demand for it.
More demand means more businesses will rush to fulfil that demand. As demand continues to pour in, green hosting grows as a market. Eventually, companies will abandon non-green models for more lucrative green ones.
When we enable green hosting with our money, we supercharge development. Companies will pour more money into researching renewable energy alternatives. More money and research get us closer to a real solution.
This change is already happening. Many server hosting options offer green energy hosting. Email providers such as Posteo run entirely on green energy.
Green hosting helps spur change towards a green future. It proves that our crucial, precious internet can run without fossil fuels.
A Future With Green Hosting
Green hosting is the future because we can keep our robust internet infrastructure and our fragile climate. It’s the best of both worlds.
Powering our homes and transportation has proven to be the most difficult of climate solutions. But with green hosting, the situation is a lot more simple. Companies already provide website hosting and website management with a green business model.
If you make an investment in green hosting, you’re investing in our future. You’re securing clean air and diverse ecosystems. You’re helping to prevent the extinction of our oceans and abundant wildlife.
Without this investment, investors will continue to back dirty energy. We’ll continue to use a system that is poisoning our planet. Green hosting is evidence that humans want to protect the earth for future generations.
Find the Right Hosting for You
Our servers consume a lot of energy, but they’re so essential that our modern world cannot survive without them. Even with climate disaster knocking at the door, hosting servers keep our world running. Green hosting provides a solution, increasing demand for clean energy and reducing carbon output.
With green website hosting, we secure a clean future for our children’s children.
Plenty of companies offer website hosting, but not all provide the same services as JW Host. Check out their hosting options and see the difference it will make for your company.
