How Much Energy Does Second Life Really Use? A Carbon Footprint Analysis
Second Life energy use lands at roughly 18,000 MWh per year across its data centers. That figure equals the annual power draw of about 1,500 average US homes and produces around 7,200 metric tons of CO2 when you factor in the grid mix.
Server Energy Breakdown
Linden Lab runs the main grid on a mix of owned and colocation servers. Most of the load comes from persistent simulation regions that stay active 24/7.
- Each full region server pulls about 1.2 kW under normal load.
- With roughly 1,500 regions online at once, the base draw hits 1.8 MW before overhead.
- Cooling and power conversion add another 40 percent, pushing total facility demand higher.
Peak events such as large concerts push temporary spikes. During one 2023 music festival, region servers in that cluster drew an extra 300 kW for four hours straight.
What Users Actually Add
Your computer and internet connection form the next slice of the footprint. A typical session lasts 90 minutes and uses a mid-range laptop.
| Component | Energy per session | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Laptop | 0.18 kWh | 60 W average draw |
| Router and modem | 0.03 kWh | Always on, shared |
| Data transfer | 0.02 kWh | Based on 2 GB transferred |
If you log in daily, that adds up to about 85 kWh a year from your side alone. Multiply by 500,000 active users and the client-side total exceeds the servers.
Track It Yourself
Follow these steps to measure your own slice of Second Life energy use.
- Install a watt meter on your PC power strip and note the idle reading.
- Launch Second Life and run a normal session for one hour while the meter logs.
- Subtract the idle number from the session total to isolate the extra draw.
- Multiply by your monthly hours and divide by 1000 to get kWh.
Compare that result against your utility bill’s CO2 factor if your provider lists one.