Metering and Monitoring

The GSN Project will on focus on carbon reduction through utilization of low carbon intensity power sources. One might suppose that if a power source is 100% green – e.g. wind power – then there is no need to measure consumed power. However, in the context of carbon reduction quantification, that conclusion is invalid, for the following reason.

Suppose one desires to quantify carbon reduction for an ICT service that was originally running on computers powered by high carbon intensity power, and which is now running on low carbon intensity power. Logically, one would require measurement of the related carbon emissions both before and after the change of power source. However, in common practice supported by ISO 14064, one may choose to measure over a period of time (e.g. a year) at the low intensity site, and then estimate the carbon emissions that would have resulted had this period of operation taken place in the original high carbon intensity environment. Such an estimate will rest largely on total consumed power at the low intensity site.