Energy demand has been flat for some years, but we are now expecting a 1000-fold increase in digital demand. What if energy efficiency moves can’t keep up? DCD asked Donald Paul, director of the Energy Insitute at the University of Southern California, at the recent Energy Smart Summit, held at DCD’s Webscale event in San Francisco.  

“As we strive for more efficiency, we tend to consume those efficiency gains by doing more things,” said Paul. “We gain, we consume.”

Energy policy in the US is unique, said Paul. The states are federal, and are sovereign entities with certain powers under the constitution - and those states have been the primary drivers of energy policy in the US for centuries. As well as this, virtually all the energy assets are privately owned. In most countries, natural resources are owned by the government, not individuals.  

All this, combined with the dynamism of the digital industries is creating many challenges and opportunities - as well as some very serious dangers from cyber attacks.