Green-Software-Foundation/scer

[!important] Draft Project: This is a draft document only and has not been approved or adopted by the Green Software Foundation. This draft may not be relied upon for any purpose other than review of the current state of development.

Created and managed by the Standards Working Group in the greensoftware.foundation.

Introduction

As digital transformation accelerates, the role of software in global carbon emissions has become more significant, necessitating the development of standard methodologies to assess and mitigate the environmental impact of software:

The Rising Carbon Footprint of Software: The digitization of nearly every aspect of modern life has led to a surge in demand for software solutions, subsequently increasing the IT sector's energy consumption and carbon emissions.
The Need for a Unified Approach: Currently, the lack of a standardized system for measuring and comparing the carbon efficiency of software products hinders effective management and reduction of carbon footprints across the industry.

The Software Carbon Efficiency Rating (SCER) Specification is a pioneering framework designed to address the increasing concerns related to the carbon footprint of software. It serves as a generic framework for evaluating software carbon efficiency, and it can be further refined and adapted to create nuanced, category-specific carbon efficiency ratings:

Aim and Scope: This specification aims to introduce a consistent, transparent, and scalable approach to carbon efficiency evaluation. It defines the scope of the SCER Specification, detailing its applicability to various software types and the expected outcomes of its implementation.
Target Audience: This specification is intended for a broad audience encompassing software developers, IT professionals, policy-makers, and business leaders who are directly or indirectly involved in the creation, deployment, and use of software.

Terminology:

USF: Unit of Software Function Carbon Efficiency: The amount of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emitted per USF.
SCER: Software Carbon Efficiency Rating
SCI: Software Carbon Intensity

Scope and Objectives

Software Carbon Efficiency Rating (SCER) Standard: Develop a standardized software carbon efficiency rating system that can assess and rate the carbon efficiency of software products. This standard will provide a framework for evaluating and comparing the environmental impact of different software applications by including a benchmark and a rating algorithm that can be used for decision-making around software applications' carbon efficiency.
Creating a Green Software Certification Lab (GSCL), a standardized testing and certification lab for green software, similar to UL (Underwriters Laboratories) for hardware and electrical systems, involves defining specific criteria, processes, and requirements to evaluate and certify the environmental sustainability and efficiency of software applications. Here is a set of specifications for the lab: Certification Framework, Energy Efficiency, Environmental Impact, Resource Optimization, Power Efficiency, Green Data Management, Renewable Energy Compatibility, Sustainable Development Practices, Certification Levels, etc.
Documentation and Guidelines: Create comprehensive documentation and guidelines that detail the carbon-efficient software development process and the SCER rating system.

Deliverables:

Software Carbon Efficiency Rating (SCER) Standard: Development and publication of a standardized SCER system that can assess and rate the carbon efficiency of software products.
Green Software Certification Lab (GSCL): Detailed specification of the lab so that organizations can implement their labs based on the specification.
Documentation and Guidelines: Comprehensive documentation and guidelines on using the SCER standard are available as reference materials for the community.
Community Engagement Initiatives: Initiatives to engage the broader software development and environmental communities, such as webinars, forums, and collaborative projects.