Vern Brownell

Our connected devices are hiding a big secret. They use energy—a lot of it. Every time you use your phone, your computer, or your smart TV to access the internet, you’re sending data requests to warehouse-sized buildings around the world, full of hundreds of thousands of servers. These data centers are among the most energy-intensive systems on the planet, representing approximately 10% of global electricity generation (though more conservative estimates put it at 3%).