Can Renewable Energy Power the World?

One of the most common nail-biting question related to renewable energy and renewable energy sources is can humankind provide their energy necessity solely on renewable energy resources.

Today, we will discuss this topic and try to find out what is the reason that we are still using fossil fuels. The popularity of the Renewable energy phenomenon is increasing day by day. Before that, we have to give some statistics on energy usage such as oil consumption.

Oil Consumption
Humankind uses 35 BILLION barrels of oil each year. I wrote the “billion” on capital letters because I wanted to highlight that. By the way, one barrel of oil is about 119 liter which means we use more than 4 TRILLION liter oil per year. This massive scale of oil dependence pollutes our planet, besides it will be over in 50 years, according to scientists. They also say that we’ve consumed approximately 40% of our planet’s oil reserves. Other than oil, the coil will also deplete about 100 years later.

Why don’t we use only renewable energy sources?
solar power panelsOn the other hand, we have huge alternative energy sources like sun, wind, and water. These three are renewable energy sources which means they can’t be depleted over time. So, why don’t humankind use unlimited and renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels? This question has been asked for decades. However, we haven’t managed to switch to renewable energy sources completely. Today, renewable energy provides just 13% of our needs. Because, unfortunately, using or producing renewable energy is still expensive and inaccessible.

The Challenges of Using Renewable Energy
Excepting politics and laws, if we focus only on science and engineering, increasing accessibility of renewable energy is a huge challenge for us, at least for now. To be able to understand the problem, we should understand how we use energy first.

We won’t go into so many details, so we will discuss two major branches: electricity and liquid fuels. Some of the areas that we use electricity are elevators, computers, blast furnaces and all other things in homes, enterprises, and factories. On the other hand, we use liquid fuels in all forms of transportation. Let’s deal with the electrical portion beforehand.

Solar Power as a Renewable Energy
The good news is that our technology is developed enough to seize all the energy from renewable energy sources which are an abundant supply. If we could use all the solar energy that comes to our planet, we would get about 173 quadrillion watts of energy which is x10.000 times our current needs.

To supply the total energy consumption need of humankind we would need several hundred thousand kilometers of solar panels. Then, why don’t we just build that panels? Because there are other obstacles in our way, i.e. efficiency and energy transportation. Solar panels or plants must be located in sunny places like desserts to get maximum efficiency. However, we need to send the obtained energy into crowded places like big cities which reduces the energy efficiency significantly.

Transcript

1. DATA CENTER EVALUATION CHECKLIST Data Center Evaluation Checklist Not all data center providers are created equal EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Although many data centers may look alike and make similar claims, not all data centers are created equal. You need to know what to look for when selecting a colocation provider and touring data center facilities. The best colocation providers deliver a secure and flexible foundation upon which you can deploy and manage the infrastructure that is at the core of your business. As you begin the selection process, make sure that you think about your long- term needs so that you can assure your provider has the capacity and flexibility to allow you to grow. A comprehensive marketplace of offerings will enable you to scale your organization within a data center, providing you consistent support for your IT strategy and into the future. One of the most overlooked selection criteria is overall data center security. Traditionally the focus has been only on the physical security of the building. In fact, there’s a much greater risk that bad actors will compromise your IT infrastructure in a colocation facility via the network, not the facility’s front or back doors. To defend against this heightened cyber threat, assure your provider has a full suite of cybersecurity solutions available for you to implement. This should include a more secure, economical alternative to traditional firewalls and VPN access that also augments your overall security posture. HOW TO USE Use this checklist to ensure you cover all selection criteria as you tour various facilities. Before going to the tour, go through the list to prioritize your needs so you cover everything in the meeting. Use a separate checklist for each facility, and check the boxes and make comments directly in the form on your tablet. The new Data Center Evaluation Checklist covers the following data center provider selection criteria: 1 Building facility 2 Compliance 3 Critical infrastructure 4 Ecosystem marketplace 5 Network and connectivity 6 Security 7 Service and operations 9 Sustainability 10 Trusted advisor and partner C Y X T E R A . C O M | 1
2. Data center provider: Date of visit: Data center address: Site visit conducted by: BUILDING FACILITY Comments: „ Designed and built to Tier III standards „ Adaptable design with secure cabinets and caged environments „ Comfortable working environmental features and amenities: • Secure WiFi internet access • Food and beverage services • Lounges • Meeting and conference rooms • Physical storage facilities, lockers, carts „ Hardened structure built to withstand natural disasters inherent to the region (i.e.: hardened to withstand winds, hurricanes, tornados, and earthquakes) „ Located outside of 100-year flood zone „ Proximity to convenient transportation „ Proximity to convenient hotels and restaurants COMPLIANCE Comments: „ NIST 800-53 PE and FISMA High Capable „ SSAE-18 (SOC 1) / ISAE 3402 compliant „ PCI DSS compliant „ HIPAA compliant „ HITRUST certified „ ISO27001 certified „ Provider is willing and able to support customers with their audits DATA CENTER EVALUATION CHECKLIST C Y X T E R A . C O M | 2
3. CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE Comments: „ Minimum of N+1 cooling configuration with concurrent maintainability „ Best of breed providers of UPS, generators and critical components „ Minimum of N+1 electrical configuration with concurrent maintainability and multiple distribution paths to IT equipment (one active, one redundant) „ Early detection fire suppression system (such as VESDA) „ Fire suppression (dry pipe sprinkler or gaseous system) ECOSYSTEM MARKETPLACE Comments: „ Web portal to connect service providers and customers „ Broad range of network service providers (ie. carrier-neutral) „ Availability of managed storage solution providers within data center „ Availability of managed hosting solution providers within data center „ Broad range of direct-connect cloud solutions „ Availability of relevant SaaS providers within data center „ Availability of relevant community within data center NETWORK AND CONNECTIVITY Comments: „ Standard cross connect types supported: CAT5E, COAX and single-mode fiber, and multimode fiber „ Layer 2 switched infrastructure for automated cross connects „ Access to direct connections leading to hyper-scale cloud nodes „ Broad range of carriers and network providers „ Carrier-neutral meet-me-area „ Connectivity to ecosystem partners „ Diverse fiber routes into data center „ Blended IP service from leading backbone providers DATA CENTER EVALUATION CHECKLIST C Y X T E R A . C O M | 3
4. SECURITY Comments: „ Perimeter security (fence, gates, bollards, etc.) „ Video surveillance with 90 day archive „ Government-issued photo ID required „ Portals (mantraps) to control data center access „ Biometric user authentication „ Consistent enforcement of security policies (e.g. no tailgating) „ Individual access control to customer cabinets and cages (key card or lock) „ Ability to add incremental security options to cages (e.g. biometrics) „ 24/7 monitoring of security and fire systems „ Secure meet-me-area for all interconnections SERVICE AND OPERATIONS Comments: „ Operational certifications, such as Uptime Institute’s Management & Operations (M&O) Stamp of Approval „ On-site 24/7 support provided by operations and facilities personnel „ Colocation facility follows two-man operations procedures „ Remote hands services and technical support for immediate attention and early resolution of potential issues „ Best-of-breed documentation and compliancesuch as drawings, OEM manuals, and operating procedures „ Onsite support to run maintenance and upgrades on your behalf „ Best practices-driven operational procedures „ 24/7 remote hands „ Structured cabling and implementation support to speed deployment „ PMP and ITIL certified engineering staff DATA CENTER EVALUATION CHECKLIST C Y X T E R A . C O M | 4
5. SUSTAINABILITY Comments: „ Commitment to increased energy efficiency „ Facility certified as energy efficient by third party organizations (e.g. Energy Star, CEEDCA, Carbon Trust, US Buildings Council, etc) „ Global cultural focus on civic duty „ Modern, energy efficient data center design, construction, updates and operations „ Supports high-density solutions „ Accurate use of blanking plates and cabling to allow optimal airflow TRUSTED ADVISOR AND PARTNER Comments: „ Commercial terms that suit your business plan „ Ability to flex spend across data centers „ 100% uptime availability SLA DATA CENTER EVALUATION CHECKLIST REMINDER: Save your checklist to your smart phone or tablet once complete. C Y X T E R A .C O M / D ATA- C E N T E R - S E R V I C E S ©2018 Cyxtera Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Cyxtera logo and certain product names are the property of Cyxtera. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.