Potentials of Green Coding

RESEARCH QUESTION 

The research aims to answer three research questions: (1) What concepts of programming software in an environmentally friendly way (“Green Coding”) exist for software development in general? (2) What concepts of environmentally friendly software engineering processes are already in place in the Internet industry? and (3) How can Green Coding concepts be implemented into the current software development processes and into the curricula of existing study programs? 

WHY IS THIS RESEARCH IMPORTANT? 

There is enormous potential in the ICT sector for more environmentally friendly solutions; however, there also seems to be a general lack of awareness of Green Coding concepts and their applications. The findings of this project deliver important insights into the capabilities of Green Coding as well as its potential effects on CO2 reduction. 

As our society is becoming more and more reliant on various Internet-based and software-driven processes, close attention should be paid to the environmental impact and available concepts that may allow us to use resources more efficiently.  

The goal of this research is to determine what concepts of Green Coding already exist and how they can be applied. 

There is a lack of knowledge and systematical insights on the potential of Green Coding for the economy and society. Consequentially, the research aims to address different stakeholder groups which are relevant for greening the web: software developers, Internet-related companies, and computer science degree programs and their students in universities. By doing so, the hope is to provide some clarity and guidance on the discussion on greening the Internet. Additionally, the research plans to examine not only first-order effects (first-order effects induce the energy consumption of the Internet directly) but also third-order effects ( in our contexts, changes in e.g. programming concepts, company views, and course structures and offers in universities). 

METHODOLOGY  

The work is based on the analysis of current Green Coding practices and interviews with experts and other stakeholders in the field, as well as industry workshops, online surveys, and a detailed analysis of the insights gathered. 

The research will investigate what concepts of environmentally friendly software engineering are already in place in the Internet industry by facilitating industry workshops, conducting online surveys, as well as providing a detailed analysis of the insights gathered. 

MEDIA AND PUBLICATIONS 

See below for research publications and other articles related to the research. 

https://gi.de/en/aktuelles/projekte/en-green-coding

https://dl.gi.de/search?query=Green%20Coding%20&scope=30690b3e-d866-4c83-8b80-3bfc9fa47f2c

https://gi.de/fileadmin/user_upload/ISOC/2023-09-25_Green_Coding_final.pdf