A parent who wants to reduce electromagnetic radiation emissions at her children's school asked me for studies that prove that wireless Internet access uses more electricity than wired. She'd like to show school administrators that wired access lowers electricity bills.
I consider getting wired web access a worthy endeavor: it limits the Internet's availability to desktops. This encourages living as our species did until about twenty years ago without a constant electronic interface.
Reduced Internet access reduces production of devices and infrastructure, which leads to less mining, less energy produced and consumed, less water consumed and polluted by the technosphere, less hazardous waste.
Limited Internet access encourages conversation between nearby humans, growing vegetables, mapping your neighborhood, caring for elderly neighbors, staging a puppet show and other pleasures.
Plus, yes, wired access reduces exposure to microwave radiation.
Does it lower one school's electricity bills?
It might. But, as an engineer explained to me, looking only at my monthly utility bill is like weighing an elephant by the tip of its tail. Why not explore the global costs of electricity and Internet access? In a school, each class could map and report on the different supply chains and infrastructure behind our screens. Utility bills don't show the costs of the power grid, access networks, data storage centers or manufacturing devices and infrastructure. But we sure pay for them.
The power grid
For starters, is your utility publicly or privately owned? What kind of fuel does it use, and where does the fuel come from? How much power does your school use in cold months? In warm months? Besides Internet access, what does your school use electricity for?
Besides fuel, utilities also need generators, power lines, substations, transformers, meter readers, accountants and engineers who maintain voltage control. What percentage of your utility bill goes to fuel? What percentage goes to maintaining infrastructure?
If your school or utility uses (intermittent) solar PVs or industrial wind power, what goes into manufacturing the solar PVs or wind turbines? Does backup (during cloudy or windless days) come from batteries or another fuel source?
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
1
1
