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Everyone produces them.
Daily and in larger and larger quantities;
their volume far exceeds human imagination.
According to estimates, the global amount of data is growing by 27 percent annually, and by 2025 it would reach an intermediate value of 175 zettabytes.
The absurd image of "exploding amounts of data" is often used for this unimaginable.
In fact, these have to be collected, processed, saved, managed and networked in order - in an ideal world - to be accessible and applicable with just a few clicks for the respective good cause.
Digitization and data now not only dominate many areas of life, they are also indispensable for the big picture: sustainability in the broadest sense. Data and its efficient processing have the potential to provide solutions to some of mankind's fundamental problems - from the supply of food to the containment of climate change and thus nothing less than the survival of the human species on earth.
If you want to start a little smaller, the recently published Bitkom study “Climate Effects of Digitization” is a good idea. In this, the German digital association makes clear statements: "Digital technologies can contribute half of Germany's climate goals by 2030," says Managing Director Bernhard Rohleder. In order to achieve the German climate target, annual CO2 emissions must be reduced from 805 megatons to 543 megatons by 2030 compared to 2019. For every single German citizen this means: The personal CO2 footprint must decrease from 9.7 tons (2019) to 6.5 tons in 2030. Bernhard Rohleder therefore demands: “We need a consistently climate-oriented digital strategy.With the help of digital technologies, we can save enormous amounts of CO2 and at the same time increase our international competitiveness and our resilience to crises. "
151 megatons less per year
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According to the study, it is possible to reduce CO2 emissions in Germany by up to 151 megatons within the next ten years through the targeted and accelerated use of digital solutions.
If you subtract the amount of CO2 generated by digital devices and infrastructures, "the net savings that can be achieved are 129 megatons - that is, almost exactly half of what is at least necessary," says Rohleder.
In fact, every fifth ton of carbon dioxide could be avoided in this country through accelerated digitization.
For the study, Bitkom examined seven areas of application of digital technologies for reducing CO2 emissions that appear to be the most promising. “We see particularly big effects in industry, in the energy sector and in mobility. But digitization can also have a major impact in agriculture, ”says the managing director. The production of fertilizers, for example, requires large amounts of energy. "However, a large part of the fertilizer does not reach the plants in the field, but ends up in unplanted areas or pollutes the groundwater."
With the help of digital applicators and an exact analysis of the soil, such loads could be drastically reduced.
In this way, fertilizers can be applied to the plants precisely and with pinpoint accuracy.
The study of digital animal husbandry systems also recognizes fundamental opportunities for improvement in livestock husbandry.
The use of digital technologies in agriculture alone should save up to seven megatons of CO2.
At the beginning there is self-knowledge
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As a company that helps others to become more efficient and sustainable through data optimization, Exasol wanted to submit itself to a sustainability screening. The results were in some cases astonishing, says managing director Aaron Auld. "Even as a relatively small company, we produce a lot of CO2, around 1000 tons per year." Being aware of this is the first step towards changing something, says the CEO. “We reduce where possible. There are no more flights for distances of less than 500 kilometers, so the train is used. We also take a very conscious look at where we have data processed; not least, we choose data centers based on where they buy which electricity. ”The survey showed that most employees want to choose freely when to work at home and when in the office.It amounts to "two to three days in the office, otherwise at home".
“We have become even more efficient during the pandemic,” says Aaron Auld. Meetings are now only done online. And because almost no one drives to the office at the moment, “we save almost 100 percent on the way to work. But even after that, we will be at more than 40 percent. ”One of the first consequences of the sudden change in everyday work that is partially enforced by Corona is the termination of rental contracts for several offices. “We are considering how we can reorganize working environments for ourselves, for example by renting co-working spaces.” There is no real climate neutrality in the sense that at some point no CO2 or other greenhouse gases would be emitted. Exasol is also aware of this. “We compensate, for example, by supporting projects that plant trees. You just buy yourself free. "
Don't be afraid of a shit storm
Aaron Auld agrees with the figures from the Bitkom study and accompanying sentences such as "However, digital climate protection is not a sure-fire success, but must be actively pursued by companies and specifically supported by politicians." But it becomes even clearer, after all, Exasol made a conscious decision to “take a clear position”, “even if there is a shit storm”. If Germany continued as before, the goals would not be achieved. “There is still a lack of political will. Lobbying is a very big problem. Politicians base many decisions on industry and lobbyists. That has to stop. This can be clearly seen in the energy transition: a lot has simply got stuck. At the moment I can't think of a bigger vision that I would associate with Germany. Something like Germany 3.0. "
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And the Exasol boss also considers university teaching to be inadequate.
In any case, it does not meet the demands of a rapidly changing world in the digital age.
What should it be, says Auld, if “teaching staff arrested in the 20th century with structural curricula from the 19th century are supposed to convey content from the 21st century.
The boys actually have to make themselves fit.
But you are not even able to equip schools with modern infrastructure. "
A lack of vision in the land of poets, thinkers and engineers - a harsh judgment.
But it comes from a well-meaning person, from someone who lives in Bavaria but is a native of Scots and therefore still has a healthy outward view of things.
Auld recognizes one cause in the habit of “always discussing everything to death.
The way in which Germany is dealing with the pandemic is a classic example of this. ”He sees no alternative to digitization.
“Anyone who persists in old ways of thinking loses and disappears from the market,” he says.
80 percent increase in efficiency
But you yourself have "increasing numbers of customers who think digitally," Zalando for example. "Every single decision is data-driven through and through, and the sustainability report is progressive and exemplary." The stock exchange has appreciated this with a doubling of the value of the shares since the IPO around six years ago.
Another customer, a water supplier from Great Britain, achieved an efficiency increase of 80 percent through digitization measures. Certainly not every company can achieve such top values, says Auld, but in principle it is impossible to imagine or put into numbers how much hidden savings potential there is to be exploited. “In daily practice I experience how processes change decisively in many companies. Things that used to take a whole day can now often be done in a few minutes. This is more efficient in every respect - it saves time, money and resources, and therefore it is also more sustainable. "
Peter Zink is concerned with the energy transition, which is intended to significantly reduce Germany's carbon footprint by switching to renewable energies in conjunction with digital technology. “Smart metering plays a key role for more flexibility, just-in-time service and ultimately also for more sustainability in the energy supply. In the combination of so-called intelligent electricity meters, input and output devices and online applications, it represents part of an intelligent electricity network, ”says the head of the“ Digital Solutions ”competence team at BET, a consultancy in the energy and water industry. “Digitization plays an essential role, for example when it is necessary to go down to the lowest voltage levels. This requires flexibility in the systems. "
However, the smart meter offensive launched in 2020 with the aim of equipping all areas - private, public and commercial - with intelligent electricity meters within eight years in order to reduce CO₂ emissions and thus make a decisive contribution to climate protection is stuck.
The reason is a lawsuit from a metering point operator that the Higher Administrative Court of Münster has upheld.
The possible consequences cannot yet be assessed.
The chicken and egg problem
“The rollout is slow,” says Peter Zink.
“But that doesn't change the fact that smart metering is necessary.
“With an increasingly decentralized generation of energy, there is no avoiding it.” More speed is necessary.
The BET expert believes that politicians are primarily responsible: “In some cases, the legislation is lagging behind.” At the grassroots level, between producers and consumers, on the other hand, there are plenty of innovative opportunities to take advantage of the disadvantages of the volatile energy sources of wind: customers could be encouraged to “consume at certain times, for example at night, when general consumption is significantly lower and electricity is cheaper.
It's about creating incentives. "
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Peter Zink also sees a possibility in providing providers with a kind of power of attorney from customers. “The provider is free to decide when to provide certain services, such as charging an electric car. In return, the customer is guaranteed a better price. ”And all of this is only possible with big data as the basis for sustainable action.
Zink sees one reason for the sluggish progress in many areas of digitization in the classic chicken-and-egg question, which he uses the example of electromobility. “One is waiting for the other.” Anyone considering buying an e-vehicle is usually dependent on a public charging infrastructure. It is expensive, and for providers it is initially a loss-making business. ”And building a nationwide filling station network simply costs time make the big picture. The funding for the installation of wall boxes or attempts to expand street lamps with a charging function are given by Peter Zink as examples.